


Beyond The Mirror

by AmethystCesarl



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-05-13 19:51:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 35,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14755241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmethystCesarl/pseuds/AmethystCesarl
Summary: On a fateful night, Steven breaks the mysterious Lapis Lazuli out of her mirror. Joining her on her journey to get back to Homeworld, Steven starts to realize how much the Gems never told him about the elusive Homeworld.





	1. The Past Five Thousand Years

**Author's Note:**

> This is my canon take on what Steven Universe would be like from the alternative route of the episode "Mirror Gem". The episode is re-rewritten in a set of five chapters before heading down the alternative route. This story may have slow updates and it may turn into a series of seperare works due to its intended length. Sit back, relax and enjoy the experience of going beyond the mirror.

Thousands of years ago, a being of light, a Gem, vanished in a puff of smoke into the core of her well being, a crystal blue stone in the shape of a teardrop that has been embedded on her back since the start of her existence.

This Gem is a Lapis Lazuli, born a terraformer with the occupation of shaping the Earth at will with water manipulation as her superpower. This ability, however, can be honed in a two-sided network of extraordinary possibilities. In other words, it can create light or cast darkness on an unsuspecting world of life.

This Lapis was fixed into the back frame of an ancient mirror which became worn and cracked just like its residing gemstone over the past millenia. The mirror was discovered at a place composed of a dozen warp pads in which Gems use for quick access transportation.

A Pearl of pale skin and loose silk clothing with her gemstone embedded on her forehead picks up the mirror and gazes into the glassy frame, completely unaware of the stone of an ancestor on the back. She stares at her own cyan eyes with pointed nose and curved back pink hair that sticks up towards the sky.

She shrugs to herself as her gem glows, illuminating the small space around her. She holds the mirror up to her forehead and within seconds, it dissapears in a flash as the stone's glow diminishes. 

The Pearl steps away from the area to catch up with her leader with her head held high, her hands attached behind her back with a smirk. The mirror floats around multiple objects inside a blank void such as police tape and a spiral tipped spear.

Meanwhile, the Gem behind the frame pounded against the other side of the glass, enraged from her imprisonment within the object. She screams and clenches her teeth as tears slip through her narrowing eyes. 

She stands alone in her own void as she thinks about her mission that she has failed to complete for her mistress. She was sent to Earth, being a terraformer, to create a Kindergarten, the birth place of various Quartzes.

The Kindergartens come with their own price, however, for they have the potential to hollow out the planet's resources to create its inhabitants, leaving it to rot and whither away into nothingness. The operations were eventually thwarted by none other than a group of their own kin.

This rebel alliance is known as the Crystal Gems with the sole duty of protecting humanity and the planet from their relatives. This sparked a war that led to the demise of millions of Gems and hundreds of human beings. 

The rebellion was led by a particular infamous Rose Quartz soldier who had the desire, though the reluctance, of ending the reign of one of her Homeworld's leaders, a Diamond, a tyrannical titan with superpowers, Pink Diamond.

After losing the war with a few survivors at her command, Rose decided to stay on Earth and knew that it was for the best to never return to Homeworld. Later, she met a kindhearted musician named Greg or Mr. Universe at the time.

They fell in love with each other and thought about having a human of their own out of wonder and great curiosity. However, because Rose is a Gem, she can't bear a child. At least, not without giving up her physical form for it. And so, Rose became her own human being.

Her entourage eventually found out what happened and for a time, fell into despair. They couldn't comprehend what has occurred nor could they believe it. Throughout his early years, Steven was taken care of by his dad while the Gems went to carry out the work that Rose left behind.

Now thirteen, Steven resides with them in a small wooden house attached to a temple by the beach of his beloved Beach City. He goes on missions and he does his own thing during his leisure time. He has made lots of friends and he generally spends time with his dad.

But on one fateful night, his whole routine changes forever for soon he will push past the barriers that the Gems had kept in tact to avert their greatest fears of allowing Steven to pursue the truth to his existence and the utmost extremity of the danger he is really in.


	2. Gem-Powered Mirror

Steven stands in the living room of the temple with his hands on his hips, staring at the achievement in front of him. His sudden impulse of desiring to be homeschooled is becoming a reality. "Yep. It's all coming together." Pearl carries in a desk and sets it down on an open red book in a pile of novelties.

Pearl turns to Steven, folding her arms to share his triumph. "So, how do we begin our school?" Steven gives off a moment of panic as he turns to the pile, raising his eyebrow. "Uh, uh I--I don't know!" 

Steven presses a hand to the locker which is laying on its side, supporting a plastic physical model of the human body's internal organs and a basketball. "This is everything Connie told me!" Steven slaps his other hand on the locker as he whines with his head raised towards the ceiling.

"Why do I never ask follow-up questions?! Who will teach little Stevie now?!" Steven presses his forehead against the locker in his dramatic state as Pearl sits straight up with a gasp, her voice raising in its volume of enthusiasm. "Teach you?!"

Pearl brings her hands to her chest, her eyes watering with a big smile on her visage. "Steven! If only I had known that's what you really wanted!" Pearl closes her eyes for moment, folding her arms once more with a smirk.

Her eye blinks wide open as the gemstone on her forehead starts to glow. She leaps off the pile of books she's been sitting on and twirls around. She jumps back around to face Steven with two fingers pointing up, her other resting against the palms of her hands.

She lets out a squak as her legs stretch out, the tips of her shoes barely touching the ground. She thrusts her right hand up with her head twisting towards the ceiling. She lifts up her left leg as she flings her hands up and back down, her right leg sliding against the floorboards. 

She brings the palms of her hands to her gem, surrounding it on both sides. Her mouth gradually drops as she lets out a low moan, her gem glowing to its maximum brightness. She stays still as a ball of light pops out of her gem, heading away from its home. 

Pearl quits her moaning, exhaling as she brings her hands forward with closed eyelids. The ball of light slowly transfigures into its true form: the mirror containing the elusive Lapis Lazuli. The mirror twirls in mid-air as Pearl explains her story behind the object.

"We found this Gem-powered mirror at the Galaxy Warp. It can capture and display any event it has witnessed in all of Gem history." The mirror starts twirling as it plops down into Steven's pudgy hands. Steven holds it firmly, his eyes shining in wonder as Pearl's places her hands on his shoulders.

"It'll offer you everything you ever wanted to know about your fellow Gems and our culture." Pearl's eyes narrow in her pride as Steven gazes into the mirror with his self-centered attitude. "I must be incredibly important to Gem culture." 

Pearl scoffs as her lips curl down causing Steven's face to scrunch. "It's just you in there!" She detaches her hand from his shoulder, bringing it to her hip. "It hasn't even been activated." She clears her throat before giving out her demand. "Show us the Galaxy Warp."

Steven and Pearl stare into the frame, anticipating the frame revealing The Galaxy Warp. After a few seconds, Pearl's eyebrows cross downward with her widening eyes as she starts to lose her patience. She pushes Steven aside, moving her glare towards the mirror. "Show us The Galaxy Warp!"

She snatches the mirror in Steven's hands. "Oh come on! I know you've seen it!" She thrusts him up off the ground, causing him to giggle as she grips the sides of the frame. She finally rests her glare as she lets down her arms with a sigh. 

"It is in pretty rough shape. It must finally be broken." She lets go of the mirror, allowing Steven to take possession of it. "Oh what a shame." Steven directs the frame to his visage as he presses his left hand to the back of his hair with an innocent grin. "Doesn't seem broken to me."

Pearl steps away from him. "Well, I guess that's the end of our school." Steven's eyes light up with diamonds for he could barely contain his excitement as he detaches the hand from his hair back down. He presses the mirror to his left cheek. 

"So, I guess you could say--school's out for the summer?" Steven's teeth burst out of his smile as his eyes bulge with stars. Pearl waves him off, not caring to notice. "Yes. Good, Steven. There are many ways to say the same thing." 

Steven gasps as he breaks out into his sprint. "SCHOOL'S OUT!" He slams the front door open and he rushes down the stairs as Pearl stares at the pile with contempt. "Hmm...the asymmetry of this pile is really starting to bother me."


	3. New Friend

Throughout the afternoon, Steven has run into Lars and Sadie, the two employees that run The Big Donut. Lars has been a bit a of bully lately, but at least not today for all he cares about is bragging out the beach babes. 

Sadie, the softer, kinder employee, hopes to meet a new friend over the summer which is exactly what Steven desires above all. He has decided, in his own words, to walk backwards with the mirror into his own beach summer fun buddy.

He nearly got ran over by Mayor Dewey's van as it blares out its campaign slogan, "Mayor Dewey!", excessively in a non-stop manner. Steven screams, forcing the driver to stop just in time. The mayor scolds Steven about being in his path of travel before driving around him to get to the beach.

Lapis, inside the mirror, chuckles from Steven's immaturity and the absurd proportions of the predicament he was in. Her eyes flash a segment she remembers of Steven laughing while dashing to the boardwalk which projects into the frame of the mirror.

Steven's jaw drops with a grandeur smile as he realizes that the mirror is still somehow active after all. "You work!" Steven starts asking it questions, striking up a conversation with the Gem who could only play back instances that the frame saw within the past hour.

Steven spots the mayor's van and he heads over to the beach where the majority of the citizens have gathered for the summer announcement. Steven takes this opportunity to embarrass him with a simple fart noise created from the palm of his left hand he puts up to his mouth.

The citizens let out a chuckle--and within a few more repeated by the mirror--laughter. After Mayor Dewey leaves, Steven stays behind with the mirror as the residents clear the area. The sun sets over the horizon as Steven talks more with the mirror, laying on his stomache in the sand.

He presses a left hand to his cheek as he kicks his legs back and forth in the air. "You got a lot of mileage out of that joke. You're pretty funny for a mirror." Steven tilts his head to his left as the mirror repeats what he just said. "I'm not a mirror!" Lapis tries something new as she chuckles within the mirror. 

Her eyes replay the scene--but quickly cuts off to another to help it make more sense. "You're pretty funny for a-Steven!" Steven quickly removes his hand from his cheek and slaps it down on the sand with a gasp. "You made something new! Say something else!"

Lapis exhales as she focuses on adding and cutting out three seperate scenes to form a new sentence. "Steven-is-a new friend!" Steven blushes as his lips curl into a big smile. "Really?!"  
"Yeah ha ha!" Steven brings the mirror close to his face as he sits back up on his knees. "You're my friend too!"

Lapis couldn't help but find the childish conversation charming and amusing. She laughs as her eyes constantly flash Steven's laughter, forcing one scene to overlap the same one. Steven gets up as he turns away from the beach. "I gotta go tell the Gems!"

Lapis gasps, cutting her laughter short as she grimaces inside the mirror. The last thing she wants right now is for the Crystal Gems to find out about the mirror's hidden awareness. She knows that if she gets caught, it would ultimately result in something far worse than being trapped in the mirror that's already holding her captive.

Steven, being provincial of the Gems' intentions due to his young age, assumes that they will find the mirror just as funny and cool as he did. Lapis pleads for him to stop by echoing his scream from nearly getting run over. Steven rushes over to the temple and opens the door to call out to the Gems who are already in the living room.

Garnet, a fusion Gem of scarlet skin with a visor sits on the couch with Amethyst, a lavender Gem with long wavy hair that reaches the height of her own size. She waves to him, revealing the gem embedded on her chest as Pearl attempts to balance a few objects on top of the locker.

The trio gives him a warm greeting as Amethyst offers him a joke. "Wanna see something high-larious?!" She pulls out a stuffed bear next to her and she places it on a table. Pearl immediately impales the animal with her spear as Amethyst burst out into her cackle.

She presses a hand to her chest as Pearl strikes a glare towards her. "You don't understand! Symmetrical means both sides have to be the same!" Pearls growls as she rips the bear off her spear before flinging it into a pile of items Amethyst already annoyed her with such as a box of cereal and a toaster.

Steven stares at the stuffed mess in a moment of horror before shaking it off to regain his enthusiasm. "Okay, that's great. Anyway, I fixed the mirror!" Pearl's spear dissipates as the Gems grin, apparently impressed. "Excellent work, Steven!" The next thing Steven says, however, reverses all of that into a state of panic.


	4. Freedom Versus Failure

Lapis grimaces from inside the mirror as Steven flashes it towards the Gems expecting a reaction. "Say hey!" Steven looks over to the mirror, his smile faltering. "Little buddy!" Steven starts to grow weary of the mirror's behavior as he looks into the frame. "Uh, excuse us."

The Gems get up from the couch as Steven turns his back towards them. "Come on. You want to come out, don't you? You have so much to say--and funny noises to share from across the ages. Are we not beach summer fun buddies?" Lapis looks down before flashing the quick subtle noise.

Steven laughs while the Gems exchange anxious looks, raising their eyebrows and squinting their eyes. "Just couldn't help yourself, huh?" Steven nudges a finger on the glassy frame as the mirror flashes a message that unfortunately said too much. "Just-for-you-Steven!" 

The mirror repeats his laughter as the Gems' eyes bulge, snapping them into realization. "It's talking to him? It shouldn't be able to do that! It should only be following orders!" Pearl covers her mouth as Amethyst tells Garnet to handle the disturbing dilemma before them.

Garnet rushes up to Steven as Lapis keeps laughing until her eyes open, noticing Garnet's silhouette approach the mirror. She gasps and she gulps as Garnet overshadows Steven. Steven presses his right hand to the frame as Lapis slaps her left against his. 

Her eyes flash non-stop scenes as her mind bounces with memories of various types, unsure of what to project onto the frame. Garnet rests her knees on the floorboards as she extends her left hand out. "Steven, you should just give us back the mirror. It'll be safer where we can watch it."

Amethyst chimes in with her aggressive attitude. "Yeah, let's bubble it!" Steven and Lapis share an expression of disgust as Lapis pounds against the frame, slapping a hand to her forehead. She grunts and groans as she attempts to plead out to Steven not to hand the mirror over only to flash his screaming.

Steven's looks back at the mirror, his eyebrow raising as Garnet gives his him a warning in her calm tone of voice. "Steven, don't make me have to take it from you." Steven's forehead sweats as he whimpers, clutching the mirror in a tight grip. "It doesn't want to go with you! Don't you hear it screaming?!"

Steven's back slams against the front door as Garnet's tone lets out a hint of impatience. "Steven, it's just a mirror! A tool. It can't want anything." Garnet reaches out for the mirror with her right hand as she crawls towards it. 

Sweat drips from Steven's face as he flashes his grimace from the hand to the mirror as the screaming from the object raises it's volume, desperate for mercy. Steven finally growls, widening his eyes as he brings a hand back. "It wants to be with me!" He slaps Garnet's hand into her face, knocking the visor off to reveal three narrowing eyes.

Steven screams, realizing the magnitude of the trouble he just caused as he swings the door open and rushes down the stairs, yelling a sincere apology due to the regret of his action. Pearl and Amethyst step up to their leader as she slides the visor back onto her face through clenched teeth. 

"That little boy--is in big trouble!" Pearl cries out in anguish of Steven's mistake as she catches up to her fellow Gems. They hurry down the stairs as Garnet gives them an urgent command. "Fan out!" Steven rushes down the beach, panting heavily as his heart beats against his chest.

He stops to catch his breath, his back pressing against a rock as he looks into his reflection within the mirror. "What am I gonna do? What's the problem with you?!" Lapis pounds the mirror through clenched teeth. She squints her eyes as she attempts to make her gem glow. 

She grunts and groans as she presses her hands against the frame. She glows as her gem flashes for a moment. Lapis widens her eyes as the mirror's frame glows in front of her. She whines as she spits out three words. "LET--ME--OUT!" Lapis' eyes flashes her thoughts as she transforms them into her demands.

Pearl screams on the other side as the glowing starts to dim. Lapis pushes further, her body convulsing as she exerts more pressure on the frame. She screams as she slips for a moment before regaining her balance. Lapis glows a vibrant ocean blue hue as the crack on her gem exacerbates.

She reveals her wish of Steven pulling her gemstone out of the back frame of the mirror, causing it to glow and allow her to reform. She only has one shot at freedom finally within her grasp. It is time to see how much she can truly put her faith and trust into the young boy. If he fails though, she will never see the light of day or her beach summer fun buddy ever again.


	5. Lapis Lazuli

Steven's eyes narrow with a nod, understanding what he must do based on the projection. He turns the mirror over to reveal the cracked teardrop gem. He grasps it and he grunts as he attempts to pull it off of the frame. 

He clenches his teeth, squinting his eyes shut as water seeps through the sand, forming the shapes of the glass frame with an octagonal puddle in the center. Steven finally thrusts the gem off the frame causing the water to splash around him. 

The frame implodes, the back rebounding against the left side of his head as he twists his head away. The gem, despite its massive crack, glows in Steven's right hand. Steven lets go of it as it flashes, allowing it to hover away from him, floating in mid-air. 

Lapis instantly reforms and gasps before she collapses onto the sand. Steven couldn't believe his eyes at the spectacle that just occurred before him. He rushes over to the Gem and he stops right behind her body. Steven takes a few small steps towards her as he takes in her appearance.

Lapis has ocean blue skin wrapped around in a dress that exposes her back where her gem lies embedded. Her hair has a darker shade and her feet are bare. There is a knot on her back that holds the dress against her body. She lays motionless for a minute before turning her head with a grunt.

Her eyes reflect Steven's amazed visage just like the mirror she was trapped in. "Thank you." She gets up, attempting to stand on solid ground after so long only to slip. "You didn't-!" Steven catches her hands to support her as Lapis lifts her head up.

She gives off a thankful grin as she eases up for him. "You actually talked to me! You helped me!" She gets back up, this time without struggling. "It's Steven, right?" Steven nods and Lapis introduces herself. "I'm Lapis. Lapis Lazuli. Are you really a Crystal Gem?"

Steven takes the name with pride as he lets off his grandeur grin. "Yeah!" Lapis maintains her smile, her eyebrow slightly raising. "But--you set me free." Steven raises an eyebrow as he questions his action further. Is it good thing that Lapis is free? 

Garnet yells out to him, causing him to jolt and snap back to reality. He turns around to spot the Gems rushing towards him. They pull to a stop a few feet away from him and Lapis as they summon their weapons. Garnet's are gauntlets and Amethyst's is a whip.

Lapis grimaces as Steven runs towards them. "Wait!" Lapis stands up straight as she closes her eyes for a moment. The ocean water starts swirling and a giant hand gradually forms as it rises towards the night sky. Her hair and dress billows in the wind as her tone turns cold.

"You three knew I was in there--and you didn't do anything!" The palm of the water hand overshadows the Gems as it seperates its fingers. "Did you even wonder who I used to be?!" The palm slams down onto the beach as Steven charges towards Lapis. 

Pearl and Amethyst fly away from the hand and crash down onto the sand with a grunt. Garnet grunts as the water hand compresses her body down. Steven's jaw drops as he looks around in horror. He turns back to Lapis with a moue crossing his innocent visage.

"What are you doing?!" Droplets of water float around them as Lapis shouts out to her captors. "I'M LAPIS LAZULI AND YOU CAN'T KEEP ME TRAPPED HERE ANYMORE!" Lapis sighs as Steven looks back at his caretakers. "They're not gonna let us leave."

Steven turns back to Lapis, questioning his surprising alternative option. "Leave?" Lapis turns to the ocean, raising her hand to diverge two sections of water to form a clear passage in the ocean. She turns back to Steven as the water walls flow upward. "Steven, come with me." 

Steven widens his eyes. "Where?" Lapis' eyes droop as she blinks them. "Home." Steven hesitates as he turns back to the Gems. What will happen to him if he stays with the Gems? He must've drawn the line too far that now, he has no choice but to leave. He has to go. He has to go home.

Steven sniffles as a tear slips from his right eye. "Steven?" He turns back to Lapis with gritted teeth. He darts towards her as Lapis notices a tear rolling down his cheek. The Gems look over at the ocean just in time to see Steven turning tail on them. Lapis hurries behind him, panting as the water starts to lose its flow.

The Gems gasp as their eyes build up in their lacrimal essence. "STEVEN?!" Lapis enters the passage and she closes up the entrance as Garnet rushes towards her. "STEVEN!" Water surrounds Steven on all sides as Lapis steps towards him, her hands outstretched towards the walls.

"Don't worry about the water. I won't let it collapse on us. Just keep moving." Steven looks back at the entrance one last time as a tear lands on the sand. 

He turns back to Lapis who puts a hand on his back with a reassuring smile. "Are you okay?" Steven sighs as he starts to regret his decision. But he has already made it and therefore, he will come with Lapis to go back home.


	6. The Diamond Authority

The waves roar past Steven and Lapis as they make their journey through the narrow gap in between the walls of rushing water. Steven trudges in the sand, staring down at it as Lapis leads the way, her arms held towards both sides with open palms directed towards the walls.

She takes a deep breathe every few minutes to keep her composure in check as Steven mutters something audible to himself. "Why did I decide to do this?" Lapis stops in her tracks, turning towards her ally. "Steven?" 

Steven dares not to look up into his own reflection within Lapis' eyes as his lips curl down with crossing eyebrows. "Why did I set you free?" Steven's expression and attitude has taken a dramatic turnaround. 

He still remembers himself having fun, yelling out his enthusiasm as he ran through the beach, laughing with the mirror in his hand. He can recollect all of the times he hasn't taken things as seriously as he should have. 

As of tonight, he knows that his summer fun times have already ended for him. How did this transition from a day of having fun in the sun to a dark, depressing trek through the ocean? Why is he here? 

Why did he decide to deliberately disobey his caretakers and take refuge with a complete stranger from the opposition? Why did he do it? Lapis casts her mirror eyes down on Steven as he folds his arms. "Why--were you in there?" Steven finally lifts his head up to confront his guide.

"Why were you in the mirror?" Lapis remains indifferent as she turns to the never-ending path ahead and beyond the horizon. "I'll tell you as we go along." Steven and Lapis keep walking as Steven looks up. He notices the water walls are getting taller for the duo is entering deeper water. "Stay close!"

Lapis lowers her arms a bit, allowing some of the water to converge. Steven gets closer to Lapis as a ceiling of water forms a few feet above their heads, leaving an air pocket. "Wow." Lapis bites her lip and she takes a few heavy breaths before she starts telling her story.

"It was around five thousand years ago when it occurred. I was sent to Earth by my Diamond for an assignment." Steven raises an eyebrow. "What's a Diamond?" Lapis groans inwardly as she starts to contemplate on how much Steven really knows about the Gem Homeworld.

"A Diamond is a leader Gem."  
"Well, Garnet's a leader."  
"No no. Garnets aren't Diamonds. A Diamond is seperate type of Gem on its own. There are four of them: Yellow, Pink, White and Blue Diamond which is my Diamond. Together, they make up the Diamond Authority."

Steven puts his left hand to his chin as he nods with interest. "Well that sounds interesting."  
"It's much more interesting than you realize, Steven. The stories behind these Gems are ones of legend. White Diamond is said to be the first Diamond and the most powerful in rank. She has hardly been seen and there have actually been rumors that she doesn't physically exist for that reason."

Steven takes a few glances back at the ocean water to gaze upon different varieties of fish and plants while Lapis talks to him. "Yellow Diamond is the second Diamond to emerge. She specializes in the military and she did participate in the Gem War."  
"The Gem War?"  
"I'll get to that in a minute."

Questions bounce through Steven's mind, begging for answers to subjects he has never been informed about until Lapis spoke to him. "Now Blue Diamond is the third Diamond to rule Homeworld. She is, in my opinion, the easiest to get along with. She at least talks with a soft voice and her appearance isn't that intimidating either."

She grunts as she thrusts her hands out to force back some water in order to gain more space in the air pocket. "Pink Diamond--is the last Diamond to exist." Her lips quiver for a moment as she recovers her memory of Homeworld's most devastating moment. 

"She believed in this place--and she cared about the people who lived here. But then--!" She grits her teeth as she shudders under her breath. "Something really bad happened to her." Lapis stops in her tracks, causing Steven's eyebrows to drop down towards his eyes as he wonders what's bothering her.

"You see, she was shattered during the rebellion that started the war by a--!" She shuts her mouth and she swallows hard. She gives off heavy breaths as she turns around to face Steven. "She was shattered--by the leader of the Crystal Gems." 

She blinks as everything surrounding them turns dead silent. "A Rose Quartz." Steven's eyes bulge as his jaw drops. "MY MOM?!" Lapis gasps, jumping back, her mind slipping out of her concentration. The water collapses onto them as the two gawk at each other.


	7. The Bubble Of Empathy

A pink, vibrant bubble forms around Steven and Lapis just before the water could touch them. Steven and Lapis look around with gaping mouths, blinking a few times to recover from the realization of their discovery. "You're a Rose Quartz."

The duo turns back to face each other as they sit across from one another in the bubble. "So that explains why you are a Crystal Gem. Because you're mom is a Rose Quartz and--wait." Lapis contemplates Steven, placing a hand on her chin with an eyebrow raising.

"What--is a mom?" Steven's eyes widen as a thought occurs to him. Gems, like Lapis, don't have moms. That's a sad thing to think about. However, the idea of that only makes him more curious in finding out who Lapis is and how she came to be.

"A mom is someone who takes care of you. Someone who cares about you. Someone who--brought you into this world." Lapis casts her mirror eyes down on the bubble's surface. "Gems don't have moms. We only have the Kindergartens." 

Steven raises his eyebrow as he sits up straight. "Kindergarten?" Lapis nods. "A Gem doesn't come into existence by a mom. MY mom is a Kindergarten. But the Kindergarten doesn't care nor take care of me. We just pop out of the ground and then we multiply to create more of them. More of us."

Steven's lips curl down into his frown as his eyebrows drop down. "That's really sad. Does your--Diamond care about you?" Lapis sighs as she hugs her legs, pressing them up to her chest. She rests her head on them as her mirror eyes droop. "Only if you follow orders."

Steven presses his pudgy hands on his own knees as he looks down for a moment. "I never got to know my mom. She gave herself up to create me and--that's why I'm here. I am her, but I'm not her. Since then, the Gems have been my moms." He chuckles. "I guess you can have more than one."

His mood darkens once more as he returns to the conversation. "But after I freed you--and after I left them--they probably don't care about me anymore--because I betrayed them. I was afraid that--I didn't know that--I thought--!" He squints his eyes as he sniffles. A tear slips down his right cheek.

Lapis watches him with somber eyes as they reflect his visage. He pouts in silence as tears roll down his cheeks. He sniffles and cries in a low volume as his back presses against the bubble's inner surface. He buries his face in his arms as he rests them on his knees.

Lapis brings her arms back down to her sides as her hands press against the surface once more. She crawls over to Steven and she stops in front of him. She reaches out to him and she wraps her arms around his body. Steven immediately embraces her back and he sobs into her right shoulder.

Lapis lightly pats his back as her eyes close, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." Steven lifts his head up from her shoulder. "For what?" Lapis blinks her eyes open. "I dragged you into this mess. You broke me out of the mirror and I offered you a trip into the ocean. Now you're stuck here--with me."

Steven sniffles as he attempts to regain his composure. "It's not your fault, Lapis." He sighs. "It's mine. I set you free only to trap us in this bubble. Maybe you would've been better off in the mirror. At least in there, nothing bad could've happened to you."

Lapis' lips curl up as she chuckles. "Are you kidding me? I didn't have anyone to talk to nevertheless be with inside that piece of junk. At least in this bubble, your here." Steven looks over to Lapis by the back of her hair. "Not that I wanted you to be trapped here though."

Steven smirks. "Listen, Steven, since you don't really have a mom to take care of you, I'll be your mom. I mean, you can have more than one, right?" Steven's teeth emerge into his smile as he gives a low laugh. "You can't be wrong about that!" 

The two laugh in their moment of empathy as the bubble pulsates. The bubble bursts, allowing the fresh ocean water to envelop the duo. Steven covers his mouth as Lapis shuts hers. She takes Steven's hand and the two swim to the surface.


	8. Into The Storm

Moonlight shines down on the ocean's surface as it ripples in a brief moment of disturbance. Steven and Lapis pop their heads out of the water as Steven immediately gasps for the salty fresh air. He keeps himself steady to float on the surface as Lapis looks over in his direction.

She groans inwardly as Steven moves his head around, bobbing in the water. "There's no place nearby for us to go to. We need to get as far away from the shore as possible." Lapis closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. Her eyelids convulse as her lips quiver. 

She grunts as she lifts herself and Steven out of the water. She takes a few breathes as the duo stands on the surface of the water. "Huh?" Steven looks down as the surface gradually turns into ice, forming a raft. Lapis thrusts her hands out against her sides as she stops shivering.

She points her fingers out towards the ocean as water starts building up behind her and Steven. A wave of rushing water grows in height as Lapis twists her hands towards the sky, allowing the water to rush upward. She opens her eyes as she thrusts her hands out with one final grunt.

The water rushes down towards the ice raft, forcing the wave to exert its pressure onto it. The raft shoots forward as Steven grasps Lapis' leg, forcing his feet on the raft. He screams as the raft flies through the ocean. 

Lapis clenches her teeth as she builds up more waves to push through the sea. Steven coughs out water as it splashes on them. The water rises, falls, twists and turns as thunder erupts from the sky. Steven gasps as he casts his eyes towards the clouds. "Uh-oh!"

Lapis looks up for a moment with a grimace as thunder booms through the dark gray clouds. Rain starts trickling down on Steven and Lapis as the raft jerks upward. It crashes back down onto the ocean, splashing the water against its sides.

Lightning strikes down out in the distance as the rain starts to pour down faster. Steven pants as water splashes against his red star shirt and jeans. His fingers slip on Lapis' leg as he grunts in the tension. Wind breezes through the duo as Lapis squints her mirror eyes shut.

Their clothes billow as water splashes into their faces. Lapis loses her focus as the raft jerks back and forth. Steven looks over to his right to spot a wave heading right towards them. He grimaces as he lets his right hand detach itself from Lapis' right leg.

His shield pops onto the back of his right hand as the water splashes into it. He bumps into Lapis with a grunt as the raft jerks to the left. "H-How do we get out of this, Lapis?!" Lapis looks around as she stutters, flabbergasted from the dilemma. "I-I don't know! What is this?!"

Steven notices another wave rushing in front of him. He widens his eyes as he lets go of Lapis. He slides forward until he grabs ahold of Lapis' left leg with a grimace. "Steven! What are you-!" The water bounces off the shield, causing Steven to squint his eyes shut through gritted teeth.

He pants as he turns his head towards Lapis. "Lapis, you need to get us out of this storm!" She stumbles forward, nearly slipping off the edge as water crashes into the raft from behind. "I don't know how!" Lightning strikes the water a few feet away, forcing the water to splash up and down onto Steven and Lapis.

"You can control water! This is a storm! Storms control water too, but you can take that control away from it and use that control to get us to safety!" Lapis' grimace fades as she nods, her eyes narrowing. 

She raises her hands up as lightning crashes down into the ocean, its aim getting dangerously accurate towards the raft. A circle of water cuts the surface a few feet away as Lapis growls, her face sweating. 

A lightning bolt strikes down directly behind the raft, jerking it forward towards the circle. "Hold on!" She forces a fist towards the sky with a yell the second the raft makes contact with the circle. 

Steven grasps Lapis' left leg as the raft springs from the surface and up into the clouds. Lightning hits the spot where Steven and Lapis would've been had Lapis not have been able to get them to safety.


	9. Healing Gem

Steven screams as he flies through the air with Lapis, flailing his limbs helplessly. Lapis looks down, grimacing as they start crashing down into the clouds. "It's not enough! If only I had my wings!" Steven gasps through the drop as he looks over towards Lapis.

"What do you mean?!"  
"I can only use my wings through my gem! But it isn't working for some reason!" Steven spots Lapis' cracked gem on her back. He gasps from the realization and he coughs in the clouds. "Your gem is cracked! I don't know how, but I can fix it! Just don't move!"

Lapis raises her eyebrow as Steven reaches to grab ahold of Lapis' left arm. He grunts as he grabs it with his other hand before he pulls himself through her. He lets go of a hand as Steven squints his eyes from the booming of thunder. "Please work!" 

He licks his right hand before he pulls himself up to attempt to slap it onto the gem. "Steven?!" Steven's hand slips off the gem the second it touches it. He grunts as his other hand starts to loose its grip. "Come on!" He grunts as he pulls himself up once more, depleting his last bit of energy.

"Come--on!" He grunts as his muscles strain. The duo plunges with only a few seconds of fresh air remaining. He yells as he slaps the gem just before Steven and Lapis crash down into the water. Steven and Lapis sink beneath the surface as Steven holds his breath.

He reaches out to Lapis as she reaches out to him. Lapis widens her eyes as she feels something effecting her back. She gasps out a few bubbles from her mouth as her gem starts to glow. The split sides converge back into place as the glow brightens. 

Steven gasps as his eyes bulge before covering his mouth. Lapis closes her eyes for a moment before opening them again to reveal her ocean blue pupils. Steven's eyes start to close as he loses conciousness. 

Lapis grabs Steven's hand and she starts dragging him back to the surface through clenched teeth. She gasps as she breaks the surface. She pulls Steven up as a wave forces her head back down. She pops up again with Steven and she looks over at him. "Steven?"

Steven's eyes are shut and his mouth hangs open as Lapis holds him in her arms. "Steven?!" She shakes him and she waits as Steven doesn't stir. After a few more seconds, Lapis sniffles. "No." Her eyes droop and she grits her teeth. "Steven, please! Wake up! Steven!"

Steven finally coughs out some water as Lapis' eyes well up for the first time in a millenia. She gasps as a tear slips down her left cheek. "Steven!" She embraces him as he slowly opens his eyes. "Lapis?" She pulls away from him as a wave pushes past them. 

The storm starts to die down as Steven regains conciousness. "What happened? Are we dead?" Steven blinks in his groggy state as Lapis shakes her head. "No. We're okay. You fixed my gem! I didn't even know it was broken until now!" Steven's lips curl upward and he coughs out.

"Your eyes look different. Before they were mirrors. But now, they're actual eyes! Real eyes!" He coughs out once more as Lapis chuckles. "I didn't know about that either!" She looks up at the clouds as they diverge from each other. Sunlight breaks through the gap as Lapis squints her eyes.

The sun rises over the horizon, allowing Steven to look upon a small silhouette of an island not that far off ahead. "Lapis, I think there's something up ahead." Lapis turns her head so her right eye can spot the island.

She widens her eyes and she sprouts her water wings with a grunt. She springs out of the water as she holds onto Steven. Steven grabs ahold of her hands as she lets go of him. She pants she drops down towards the water before rising up just above the surface. "I think I can make it."

Steven's sandals touch the water as Lapis shoots herself forward towards the island with a grunt. She pants as Steven grips her hands as tight as he could. She screams as she picks up more space between her and the ocean. Steven's sandals drip with the water as Lapis gasps. 

Steven gapes at the place, widening his eyes. "Woah. That's a lot of warp pads." Lapis' eyes bulge open with a gasp as she lets go of Steven. He crashes down towards the ocean as he reaches out to grab ahold of the edge of the Galaxy Warp. He pulls himself up with a grunt as he watches Lapis drop down onto a warp pad nearby.

He steps up to Lapis as his head twists left--right--straight ahead towards the surrounding warp pads on the reflective surface. Lapis casts her eyes down as she steps off the warp pad to Steven's left. 

Lapis lifts her head up as she embraces herself. Steven stops next to his companion, raising an eyebrow. "Lapis, what is this place?" She shudders under her breath. "Somewhere I never wanted to come back to."


	10. The Galaxy Warp

A seagull soars over the Galaxy Warp as it casts its shadow from the bright morning sunlight. The warp pads heat up as they absorb the sun's rays like an array of solar panels. The big crystals stand tall on the edge of the surface, surrounding its components as they reflect the light against one another.

Steven and Lapis sit next to each other on the bottom step of the short staircase of the biggest warp pad at the very core of the surface. Steven's stomache grumbles as Steven presses a hand to it, groaning from the pressure building in his body. 

"Oh! Lapis, I haven't eaten since yesterday." Lapis looks over at Steven. "In the morning, I mean." She sighs, rolling her eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but right now, we need to find a way off of this miserable planet." 

Steven's lips curl down as his eyebrows drop down. "Earth isn't miserable. It's really nice out here actually. The sun is shining. The birds are soaring overhead. I like it here." Lapis scoffs, getting up from the stair. "Well I don't." She wanders off, folding her arms as Steven gets up.

He rushes towards her, panting before pulling back into a steadier pace next to her. "What do you mean?" Lapis stops at the edge, placing a hand on one of the crystals. Steven looks up into Lapis' cold, stern visage as it stares into the horizon ahead. "Lapis?" 

Lapis remains mute as Steven places a hand on her back just below the gem. Steven sighs as he turns his gaze back to the sparking ocean. "Why don't you like this place?" Lapis bites her lip. "What's so bad about it?" Lapis growls as she whips her body to her left, flashing a glare down towards Steven causing him to detach his hand.

"What's so bad about it?! This place is the Galaxy Warp! I was abandoned here! I was abandoned here in that stupid mirror until she came and she didn't do anything to save me!" She huffs as Steven takes a step back, grimacing from the backlash.

"You didn't know what this place is even though you have been staying with THEM as a member for how long?!" Steven's voice weakens in tone. "Well, I think it was about four years. Maybe?" Lapis' eyes bulge as she clenches her teeth. 

"Four years--and you never knew?! You didn't know about the Diamond Authority o-or the Kindergartens either! You see, this is what I was talking about! You say you are Crystal Gem, but you're NOTHING like them!" Steven gapes as his eyes narrow. 

"You're right! I'm not like them! I may have this--!" Steven lifts up his shirt to reveal the gem embedded on his stomache. "But I'm also half-human! I need to eat and breathe and sleep--!" He points to the dark bags under his eyes. "But you think I don't need to because I'm a Gem! Well I'm not!" 

Steven's stomache grumbles once more as Lapis drops her glare. She looks down at her reflection on the surface of the Galaxy Warp. She blinks her eyes as she listens to the waves crashing on the side of the Galaxy Warp and the seagulls squaking overhead.

She closes her eyes as she sighs. "I don't understand. How are you both a Gem and a human?" Steven groans inwardly as he looks away. "It's a bit--hard to explain." He turns back to face Lapis. 

"You see, I have a dad who is half-human, which is about the same as a mom, and my mom is a Gem. They met and they fell in love and they wanted to have me so my mom turned into me and that's basically who I am. I don't know what my mom knew though and the Gems kept a lot of things from me because they felt that it was best for me not knowing these things."

Lapis lifts her head up. "Oh. I guess that makes sense then." She puts a hand to her chin for a moment. "It's not that they didn't care about you. It's the fact that--they didn't want you getting into trouble." She sighs as she brings her left hand back down to her side. She folds her arms as her eyes droop. 

"But I made you defy them against their wishes. They just--wanted to keep you safe. They're probably searching all over the planet right now to find you." Steven shakes his head, casting his eyes down towards his reflection. "But I went against them. They probably don't care about me anymore after what happened."

Suddenly, the warp pad a few feet away from them glows. Light bursts into the sky for a brief moment before it fades to reveal its users. Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst stare in the opposite direction, unaware of their ironic, coincidental reunion.


	11. The Confrontational Reunion

Steven takes a moment to blink his eyes in place of a gasp from the shock of his caretakers' unexpected return. Garnet is the first one to step off the warp pad directly in front of Steven and a grimacing Lapis. 

Pearl and Amethyst follow suit and they stop on both sides of her, turning their heads to look up into their leader's visage. Pearl sighs to her right as she folds her arms. "Steven has been gone for hours! He could be anywhere right now!"

Garnet groans inwardly as she puts a fist to her chin. "Hmm...I can see a few possibilities of where they have gone. They could be in the ocean--an island--or-!" Suddenly, a seagull soars above Steven as it defecates on the right shoulder of his shirt, squaking as an alarm for the Gems.

Garnet turns her head as Steven and Lapis try their best not to move a muscle only to be caught by Ruby's fiery red eye behind Garnet's visor. She clenches her teeth, immediately summoning her gauntlets to her hands. She jump spins around to confront them. "GEMS!"

Pearl and Amethyst whip their bodies around, gasping at the sight of Steven standing next to the Homeworld Gem. Pearl pulls her spear out of the gem on her forehead while Amethyst pulls out her whip from the gem on her chest. 

They ready their weapons, threatening an assault towards Steven and Lapis. Steven gulps as Pearl screams at him, her forehead furrowing with crossing eyebrows. "Steven! What were you thinking taking refuge with this--this stranger!" 

Amethyst, chimes in, folding her arms as she grips the handle of her whip. "Yeah, man! That wasn't cool!" Garnet shakes her head as she takes a step forward onto the warp pad. "Steven, I am very dissapointed in you. Not only did you break a Homeworld Gem out of containment, you also chose to run away with her!"

Pearl hisses through her teeth, pointing the tip of her spear towards Steven and Lapis. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?!" Steven already knows the answer for he has experienced the consequences long before they caught up with him.

"What made you think that this was okay?!" The tone of Steven's voice shakes as his forehead sweats. "Uh--well I--um!" Lapis steps in front of him, narrowing her eyes. "Leave him alone! He had nothing to do with this!" 

Pearl growls. "YOU! You've been communicating with Steven through the mirror! Poisoning his mind with such dangerous thoughts!" Lapis stands her ground in front of Steven as she continues her verbal attack. 

"I did! I did because you wouldn't let me out of the mirror! You knew I was in there and I knew THAT because I've seen each of your horrible faces!" The Gems' clenched teeth shake in the tension as Steven takes a step back. "Why didn't you do it?!" 

Garnet flashes her counter. "Because you are a danger to humanity and this entire planet! We are completely aware of the potential of the power you possess! It has to be contained!" Lapis closes her eyes as her fists tremble. The water surrounding the Galaxy Warp starts to flow and swirl as she shakes her head.

"Sorry." The water starts rising from the ocean's surface as the Gems stand at the ready. Steven hears the rushing water, turning his head just in time to look upon the rising water surrounding the Galaxy Warp. "I'm not going to be contained any longer."

The Gems stare at Lapis, narrowing their eyes as Steven looks around to notice more and more of the water surrounding him by the second. "It's been around five thousand years ago since one of you placed me in your gem, keeping me away from the outside world!"

Pearl's eyes widen as Lapis points a trembling finger towards her. "YOU did that at this same exact location--maybe even this exact same spot that long ago!" The water rises enough for the Gems to notice as the clouds darken overhead. 

Pearl starts loosing her grip on her spear as she twists her head around her surroundings. "And now, I'm going to contain YOU!" Water sprouts in every direction as Steven immediately forms a bubble around him before he could get hit by the barrage of water jets unlike his fellow Gems.


	12. Traitor Gem

The bubble surrounding Steven bursts as a second jet of water sprouts from the surrounding wall of water. The Gems' bounce and crash down to the ground as three more jets catch them off guard. Pearl gets up and she leaps into the air, thrusting her spear down towards Lapis with a yell.

Lapis thrusts her left fist towards her and a water jet sprouts up to knock her out of the air. Steven squints his eyes shut for a moment as he listens to the horrific sounds of the jets colliding with the Gems. 

Streams of water fly in every direction they could as the Gems look around, flustered by the predicament they put themselves in. Steven grimaces as Amethyst collides with a jet only to be pounded in the back by another like a pinball. 

Steven looks up at Lapis' stolid, monotone expression as she moves her hands around to direct her assault. Lapis' plan is to drive the Gems away from her and Steven by forcing them to retreat through one of the surrounding warp pads. 

Unfortunately, the Gems have other plans for they aren't leaving without Steven. Lapis' forehead sweats as she grits her teeth. "Lapis?" She doesn't turn to Steven as she growls. "Steven, stay back!" Amethyst lashes her whip out towards them. 

Steven summons his shield to block the ends of the weapon as he leaps in front of Lapis. Amethyst grunts as the crystals at the ends of the whip rebound off the shield. Amethyst retracts the ends as she glares at Steven. "Dude, what are you doing?!" 

Pearl and Garnet freeze as they gawk at Steven's traitorous decision to protect the Homeworld Gem. They start rushing towards him as jets sprout towards the places they stood, colliding them against each other with a heavy splash. 

Steven's eyes bulge, but he stands his ground as the Gems charge towards him. Steven expands the size of the shield, grunting with squinted shut eyes. He opens them as Pearl hurls her spear towards it. Garnet pounds the shield, causing Steven to reel back.

He extends his left hand out to shield Lapis as he thrusts his shield forward to counter another jab from the gauntlet. "STEVEN!" Garnet growls. "Put the shield away!" She pounds the shield again, causing Steven to squat as he takes a quick step back. "Steven, I'm not asking you again!"

Pearl and Amethyst stop fighting as they glare on both sides of their leader. Steven takes deep breaths as his face sweats from the heavy blows the shield is taking. Lapis presses a hand to her forehead as she groans. 

The water starts to lose its form as Lapis starts to hyperventilate from her long term manipulation. Steven turns back to Lapis for a second. "Lapis!" Lapis' limbs go limp as the water wall crashes back down into the ocean surrounding the Galaxy Warp. 

Lapis takes deep breaths as Steven holds up the shield for as long as he could against his fellow Gems. "Steven! Please! Stop fighting back for me! It's over!" Pearl and Amethyst rush towards the shield only to make a turn around it. 

Pearl points her spear at Steven from his right as Amethyst readies her whip from his left. "Steven! Put the shield down or we'll put YOU down! This is your final warning!" Steven's eyes well up as he sniffles. "Steven, please. It's not worth it."

Tears roll down his cheeks as he looks around. "Gems! On the count of three." Lapis takes a step back with Steven. "One." Lapis puts a hand on his left shoulder. "Steven!" Steven's sweat mixes in with his tears as his body convulses from the horror that he has put himself in. "Two!"

Steven squints his eyes shut before Lapis shoves him to the ground, forcing his shield to dissipate just before the Gems could unleash their assault. Steven sniffles as he sobs on the Galaxy Warp on his hands and knees in front of a worrisome Lapis. 

The Gems' weapons dissapate in a flash before they head towards them. Garnet stands over Steven, overshadowing him as he lifts his head up towards her. "Steven, you're grounded." Pearl and Amethyst grab Lapis by the arms. 

She growls through clenched teeth as Garnet picks Steven up and hurls him over her right shoulder with a grunt. The Gems step onto the warp pad they came from right behind them and they stand still as light bursts from it to carry them back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who has been tuning in and reading this work during the first week of it being on this site. I've been posting a new chapter every night for both this and a similar work that is more focused on a relationship that I came up with and is now my "crack" OTP unless it ever gets somewhat close to being canon. I have like twice as many chapters ready on this, so I'm currently writing more chapters to finish the first act of the other work. If you're interested in checking that out, please don't get discouraged by the featured relationship. It's mainly about what would've happened if Steven spared Eyeball in space at the end of Bubbled and the possible aftermath on Earth. As for this, I'll continue posting new chapters every night up until a certain point where I'm going to start posting say every other night. I'll let you guys know when the time comes. I hope you're enjoying the experience so far. ✌


	13. Nothing Else Matters

The temple is dead silent as Steven stands across from the current leader of the Crystal Gems. He has his hands behind his back with his eyes casted down on the wooden floorboards in front of the kitchen. Lapis doesn't attempt to resist the grip on her wrists as she stares at Steven with somber eyes.

Garnet maintains her glare along with Pearl and Amethyst as they contemplate the probable catalysts to Steven's reckless behavior. Garnet folds her arms as Steven slides his right sandal back and forth against the floorboards.

"Well?" Garnet bends her head down towards the young boy. "What made you do it?" Steven sighs as he resists looking up into the visor. "Look, you heard her screaming last night and you wanted to take her away from me. I don't know why, but I wanted to help."

Garnet presses a hand to her visor with a groan, allowing it to dissipate to reveal three eyes. There is a blue one, Sapphire's on the left, Ruby's on her right and a purple one for the one above in between. "Steven, I know you want to help people, but not everyone deserves it."

Steven raises an eyebrow, putting his hands to his hips. "Why? Aren't we the Crystal Gems? Aren't we supposed to help anyone in trouble?" Garnet shakes her head. "Yes, Steven. But-!"  
"Lapis was in trouble! I had to help her!" 

Garnet's eyes narrow down on Steven. "By slapping my own hand across my face?!" Steven backs down a bit with a gulp, flashing back to the moment he physically injured Garnet in a foolish attempt to defend Lapis. "Steven, we just wanted to protect you!"

Steven's face scrunches as he thrusts himself forward to counter her. "How, Garnet?! By not telling me things that I should know?! By not telling me about Homeworld--!" Garnet's teeth clench. "Or the Kindergartens--!" Amethyst grimaces, her eyes bulging. "Or Pink Diamond?!" 

Pearl gasps with her free right hand, covering her mouth. "Steven! You are mentioning things that you do not understand!" Steven growls. "I'm a Crystal Gem and YOU--!" He points a finger at Garnet. "Are a Crystal Gem! You knew about this stuff and I didn't!"

Garnet takes a step forward, causing Steven to retract his finger a bit. "You didn't know about all that because you didn't need to know about it! You are a Crystal Gem because you have your mother's gem and you go on missions with us! Nothing else matters!"

Steven clenches his teeth. "Nothing else matters?! So the safety of Earth doesn't matter and neither does humanity or anything else that happened before this, is that it?!" Garnet and Steven lock eyes on each other for a solid minute before Garnet puts her visor back on in a flash of light. "We're done here."

Garnet turns her head to Pearl and Amethyst. "Pearl, Amethyst! Watch over Steven and Lapis while I'm gone." They raise their eyebrows as Garnet steps over towards the front door. "Where are you going?" Garnet presses her left hand to the door. "I'm going to go--think about some things."

She pushes the door open and she heads out as the door locks itself shut behind her. Pearl and Amethyst turn to Steven. "So, I'm assuming your friend told you everything you needed to know about us?" Steven turns to face them as Lapis stares down at the floorboards.

"Guys, why doesn't any of that stuff matter?" Pearl scoffs as she tightens her grip on Lapis' right arm. "Because it doesn't, Steven!" Steven folds his arms, rolling his eyes. "Look, Steven, the things that SHE is telling you isn't appropriate and you didn't need to know about any of it!" 

Amethyst huffs. "Especially the bit about the Kindergartens! That was dirty!" Lapis clenches her teeth as she lifts her head up. "Hey! I thought you already told him about that!" Pearl yanks on her right arm, twisting her head towards her. 

"He's only thirteen! His mind can't comprehend what has happened from the past millenia! He's not ready!" Lapis twists her head towards her. "To you he isn't! I've been with Steven long enough to know that he can handle this stuff! He is ready!"

Pearl gapes at her with widening eyes. "What do YOU know about Steven?! You've only known him for a day! I've known him AND his mother for as long as I can remember!"  
"Is that so?! Well aren't you supposed to educate him about our history and our culture?! You known, being a mom?! Caring for him?!"

Pearl holds a finger up as her mouth hangs open. She grits her teeth as she lets go of Lapis, her hands balling into fists. She glares at her as she heads towards the temple door. The gem on her forehead glows as the stone on the door glows in unison. 

The sides holding the door together diverge, allowing Pearl to step past the threshold. The door closes as she steps onto the water in her room. Lapis twists her head to her left towards Amethyst. She shakes her head. "I'll let you go, but I'm staying here until Garnet gets back." Lapis narrows her eyes as Amethyst lets go of her arm.


	14. The Name Game

Steven sits on the couch next to Lapis with a small wooden table placed in front of them. Steven stares at the bowl of macaroni and cheese as he taps his fingers against the spoon lodged in his lunch. Steven sighs with his head resting on the palm of his right hand with the elbow resting on the table next to the bowl.

Lapis has her hands on her knees as she stares down at the table next to a glaring Amethyst standing next to her. "You know Pearl's gonna be very upset if you don't eat your lunch, right?" Steven groans as he grips the spoon. "She already is!" 

He thrusts the tip out of the food and he opens his mouth to take in the spoonful. Steven, once starving for food, has lost his appetite from the events of the past few hours. He chews the gooey substance in his mouth very slowly with drooping eyes.

Lapis watches him eat with an eyebrow raising. "What are you doing?" Amethyst snickers next to her as Steven sets the spoon back down on the food with a gulp. "Eating, Lapis. I'm eating--my food." 

Steven takes another spoonful of food as Lapis turns to the snickering Amethyst. "What's so funny?" Amethyst quits her snickering with a smirk. "Oh man! You've got a lot of catching up to do, Homegirl!" Lapis' right eye twitches. "What did you just call me?"

Amethyst folds her arms. "Homegirl. You know, because you're from Homeworld?" Lapis whips her body towards Amethyst, countering her smirk. "Really? Well how about this one, Kindergarten Kid!" Amethyst widens her eyes, her smirk dropping in an instant. 

She blushes as she clenches her teeth. "Oh! We're playing this game now! Alright then, water witch!" Steven turns to his right to watch Amethyst and Lapis squabble with their name calling as he takes another casual spoonful. 

"Quartz soldier!"  
"Mirror glass!"  
"Deep cut!"  
"Shallow cut!"  
"Low-life!"  
"Fancy pants!"  
"Defect!"

Amethyst pauses as her eyes well up. "What?" Lapis chuckles as she hangs her head towards the ceiling, narrowing her eyes. "Defect, you know, because you're small?" Steven raises his eyebrow as Amethyst sniffles. "Excuse me?!" Lapis shuts her eyes for a moment. "You heard me."

Amethyst growls as her gem glows. She pulls out her whip from her gem through clenched teeth. "I mean aren't you supposed to be big and tall just like the other Quartzes?" Amethyst takes a step forward, readying her whip.

Steven gulps down his food and grimaces. "Uh, Lapis?"  
"So, what happened with you? Did you stay in the ground for too long? We're you abandoned when you came out of the ground because nobody was there to come get you?" 

Steven notices Amethyst's flaring nostrils and furrowing forehead as she heaves. "Lapis!" Lapis snickers with crossing eyebrows. "Did you go insane until the Pearl and Garnet came to take you in?! Were you talking to rocks in your spare time wondering why you even existed to begin with?!"

Amethyst's grip on the handle of the whip tightens as she lashes out at Lapis. "Well now isn't that fun-!" The whip's ends wrap around Lapis, forcing her to cut her insult. Amethyst thrusts Lapis into the closet door. Lapis grunts as she rebounds against it. "Oh that is it!" 

Steven gasps as he drops his spoon, allowing it to clatter on the table as he rushes towards Lapis. "I don't care what Garnet says! I'll bubble your wet butt away right now!" Steven stops in front of Lapis, summoning his shield to counter Amethyst's assault. 

The ends of the whip rebound off the shield, as a tear slides down Amethyst's left cheek. She growls at the young boy behind the shield. "Dude! How can you defend this monster?!" Her lips quiver as she chokes on her tears.

Steven drops the glare he's been giving her as she turns tail on them and runs away. She pulls the collar of her shirt down, as the door immediately opens for her. The door slams itself shut with a resounding boom. Steven's shield dissipates as he turns around to face Lapis propping her back against the closet door.

"Lapis, why did you do that? You hurt Amethyst's feelings." Lapis shrugs. "What? I had to get her out of here so we can escape. Now that the room is clear, we can take the warp pad and dissapear from this miserable place!" Steven narrows his eyes. 

"This is my home, Lapis! I can't believe you would do such a thing just so you could help us escape!" Lapis growls as she gets up. "Steven, sometimes you just have to do the things that you don't want to do to get stuff done! We need to get to Homeworld and this is the only way!"

Steven reproaches her. "Is it?! Or is it the way YOU want to get things done?!" Steven heads up the stairs to his room as the temple door opens. Pearl steps out, gasping. "Where's Amethyst?!" 

Lapis slumps back down on the couch folding her arms. "Steven?!" Pearl turns to look up at Steven who is laying down on the bed with his limbs outstretched, questioning the morals of his beach summer not-so-fun buddy.


	15. False Guardians

Pearl stares at the temple door as Steven rests in his bed upstairs. His eyes are shut as his stomache heaves against the bedsheets. Lapis stares at the Gem as she sits on the couch, her body laying on it with her head against the wall. 

Pearl groans as she presses a hand against the gem on her forehead. "Its been hours and Amethyst is still inside the temple." Lapis raises an eyebrow. "Well how do you know that?" Pearl turns around to face her suspect, stepping onto the warp pad. 

"For your information, I am one of the guardians of this temple." Lapis folds her arms. "What is that supposed to mean?" Pearl's right eye twitches for a moment as she keeps her attitude at its calming level. "It means that I can tell who is inside and that I can manipulate a room however I see fit."

Lapis gets up and she starts heading towards her. "Can I try?" Pearl's gem glows as she pulls out her spear before pointing it at Lapis. Her eyebrows cross down with a downward curl in her lips. "Not another step, Lapis." Lapis stops in front of Pearl, staring her right in the eye.

"And no, you may not try." Lapis tilts her head to her right, her arms folded against her chest. "Why not?" Pearl puts her hands on her hips with her spear held against her right, bending her head down. "Because you are not a guardian." Lapis scoffs. "I'm not a guardian?"

Pearl shakes her head. "No, you are not." Lapis smirks. "Really? I guarded Steven-!" Pearl's eyes bulge. "You took him into the sea! He could've died out there! That is the exact OPPOSITE of what a guardian does!" Lapis narrows her eyes. "Well isn't a guardian supposed to protect something--or someone?!"

Pearl clenches her teeth. "Now you listen to me, you witch! I at least tried to protect him against the likes of you and your dirty antics! Right now, he may think you're just like the rest of us, but once he realizes that you're from the opposition, he'll finally let us contain you and this senseless game will be over!"

Lapis chuckles, her eyes shut for a moment. "Then why didn't you tell him about me and all of the other bad Gems when you had the chance?" Pearl gapes at her as she smirks. "Yes, I know he's young and that he shouldn't be learning any of that stuff, but when it all comes down to his life being on the line, he needs to know."

Lapis reproaches her by taking a step closer to the warp pad. Pearl keeps her spear at the ready in case Lapis dares to make an attempt to escape. "But let's forget about that for right now and--talk about something more--about us."

Pearl raises her eyebrow. "Remember that night you found the mirror I was trapped in on the Galaxy Warp?" Pearl reaches up to her gemstone as it glows. She pulls out the mirror and she holds it up to her face, looking upon the shattered glass that once made up the frame.

"You picked it up and you never bothered to look at what was on the back." Pearl flips the mirror around in her left hand, immediately noticing the blank frame--except for a faded outline of Lapis' gemstone. Pearl remains indifferent in her glare as Lapis continues.

"You may not believe me when I say this, but when you placed me inside your gem, I saw multiple things that you have stuffed inside it including one that I now find very--interesting." Pearl lifts her head up with sunken eyes. "Take out--the picture." Pearl grits her teeth. "What picture?"

Lapis smirks. "The one with you and Rose Quartz." Pearl's eyes bulge in a momentary blush as her body shifts in alarm. She thrusts her spear from her hip and towards Lapis' chest, her tip touching the mid-region of her upper body. 

"Not--another--word. Once Garnet gets back, we will deliberate on whether or not to spare you for your crime. And right now, the odds don't seem to be in your favor." Lapis backs away and Pearl's spear dissipates as she folds her arms. 

She watches Lapis as she sits back down on the couch, her eyes casted down on the floorboards. Lapis narrows her eyes as her forehead furrows. The bags hanging under her eyes darken as her glare crosses into her visage. "That's what you think."


	16. Steven's Nightmare

Hours pass by as Lapis sits alone on the couch, plotting an escape plan to get Steven and her out of the Crystal Gems' hands and out into the sanctuary of her Homeworld. Steven tosses and turns in his bed, moaning as his eyes squint, gritting his teeth.

Within his dream, Steven stands with Lapis on the Galaxy Warp in the brisk daylight of the afternoon. The warp pad behind them glows as the duo stares out into the glimmering ocean ahead. Steven immediately turns around to look upon his fellow Gems, grimacing as his eyes bulge.

They ready their weapons as Lapis turns around. Garnet leaps towards Steven through clenched teeth. Steven gasps as he summons his shield right before Garnet could pummel him. Amethyst jumps into the air, curling into a ball. 

She rushes towards him with a spin dash, causing him to bounce back. He grunts as his back hits the glossy surface of the Galaxy Warp. Pearl comes in next, thrusting her spear towards him. Steven summons his shield once more as his forehead sweats. 

He holds his breath, forcing his mouth shut as he takes in the pressure of the assault. The palm of his left hand presses against the surface, using it to inch back away towards Lapis. Lapis stares down at the young boy with a glare as the Gems keep attacking Steven, completely unaware of Lapis' vulnerability.

Steven grunts as his shield pulsates more and more from every jab--stab--and crash against it. He looks up towards Lapis, tilting his head up to his left. "Lapis!" He grunts as Garnet pounds the shield into his chest, knocking the wind out if him.

"Help me! Please!" Lapis smirks, raising a hand. The Galaxy Warp vibrates as the Gems quit their assault. They look around as they back away, twisting their heads around their surroundings. They back up the stairs onto the Homeworld warp in the center.

The clouds in the sky darken and the thunder rings through Steven's ears as it booms throughout the area. Steven gulps as Lapis thrusts her hands out. She curls her left hand into a fist before letting out her pointer finger, aiming it towards the Gems. Steven looks down as he feels the water creeping through the soles of his feet.

Water seeps on the Galaxy Warp towards the Gems as Steven lifts his head up to look into their horrid expressions. They stare at Steven as he turns his head towards Lapis. "Wh-What are you doing?" Lapis lowers her arms a bit, letting go of the water flowing past her.

Steven listens to the water plop back down into the ocean as he turns back to the Gems. He gapes, jolting as he watches the Gems stare down at the remaining pad of water surrounding them on the warp. Lapis brings her right hand back over her shoulder as she balls it into a fist.

The water instantly turns to thick ice, encasing the Gems' shoes. They clench their teeth as they look down upon the trap. Lapis turns her head towards Steven. "Steven." Steven twists his head towards Lapis on his left. "Do it." Steven raises his eyebrow. "Do what?"

Steven's shield pops onto the back of his right hand without his permission as he looks down at it. "Take them out." Steven looks up at his fellow Gems as they stare at him. Steven's eyes droop in his grimace as he hesitates to launch the shield. "Steven!"

He turns back to Lapis. She turns her eyes towards him as they flash his reflection for a moment. Steven whimpers as he turns back to the Gems. "These Gems." Lapis' voice echoes throughout the area as Steven takes a step back.

"They grounded you on this miserable planet. Don't you want the truth?!" Thunder crashes and booms as Steven shakes his head with squinted shut eyes. "They are the ones keeping you from it! They are all liars! Every single one of them! Haven't you had enough with their pathetic games?!"

Steven's eyes flash open as tears stream down his visage. Lapis raises her voice as the Gems continuously bash the ice with their weapons. "What are you waiting for?! Just take them out so we can escape to our Homeworld!" 

Steven's body convulses and jolts from the thunder as his knees buckle. Lapis clenches her teeth. "JUST DO IT!" Steven collapses on his hands and knees as Lapis steps past him. The wind picks up as it breezes past them. Lapis looks down at Steven. She grips his arms and she thrusts him up.

She bends his right arm back as she holds his other arm steady. "LIKE THIS!" She thrusts his right arm out, lauching the shield towards the Gems. Steven screams as the shield causes the Homeworld Warp to explode with the Crystal Gems on it.


	17. Two Conflicts, One Connection

Steven abruptly sits up as his eyes bulge open. He gasps and he pants as his heart races from the nightmare he just witnessed. His forehead sweats as he gazes at the television screen ahead of him revealing his reflection. 

His mind takes a moment to recover as he clutches his stomache covered by the red star T-shirt with his left hand. The temple door opens as Amethyst steps out, staring down at the glossy dark floor ahead of her. 

Steven turns his gaze in her direction as Pearl turns around with a glare crossing her visage. She folds her arms as she bends her head down towards the Quartz. "Where have you been?! Lapis could've escaped had I not stepped in here in time!" 

Amethyst lifts her head up as Pearl continues her scolding. "I swear, you have been nothing but trouble always goofing off and making messes! Why did you abandon your guard?!" Amethyst remains mute as Pearl stares her down. 

Lapis, like Steven, watches the two Gems have their confrontation out of sheer curiosity as she sits on the couch nearby. Amethyst finally casts her eyes back down on the warp pad with a sigh, curling her hands on her sides into fists. She closes her eyes for a moment. "Lapis--!" 

She scoffs as she blushes, clenching her teeth. Pearl raises an eyebrow as Amethyst blurts out her response. "I'm not what I'm supposed to be, Pearl!" Pearl takes a moment to process what was said before dropping her glare. 

"I'm not like you or Garnet or even Steven. I'm just--an outcast." Pearl's lips curl down as she brings her hands back down to her sides. "You knew. Garnet knew. Rose--knew. But you've always been treating this like it is some big joke!" Pearls eyes droop. "Amethyst, did Lapis make you--feel--this way?"

Amethyst reluctantly nods as Pearl steps down from the warp pad. Lapis' eyes widen as she watches Pearl gradually lose her guard. Her plan is finally coming together! She gets up and turns around to look up at Steven watching from his bed. 

Pearl bends down on her knees to place her hands on Amethyst's shoulders. "I had no idea you were upset about it, Amethyst." She smiles as Lapis creeps up the stairwell towards Steven's room. "Listen, it's going to be okay. Don't listen to anything that witch ever tells you."

Lapis steps up to Steven, reaching out to place a hand on his right shoulder with a whisper. "Steven."   
"She's trying to discombobulate us." Steven gasps as he whips his body around towards Lapis. She shushes him, pointing down towards the warp pad downstairs. 

"I don't know exactly what she's up to, but one thing is for certain." Steven looks back up towards Lapis. "Now's our chance." Steven bites his lip, turning back to Pearl and Amethyst for a moment. "She's trying to get back to Homeworld." Lapis scoffs at Steven. "Why not?" 

Steven debates against her in a whisper. "Lapis, I don't think we should be doing this! This is crazy!" Pearl's eyebrows cross down towards her pointy nose. "We can't let that happen." Lapis folds her arms with a glare. "Steven, I'm leaving with or without you. I'm giving you a choice."

Pearl blinks her eyes. "Think about the consequences. If Lapis escapes, she could report to the Diamonds or request backup to invade Earth." Steven grits his teeth. "Lapis, why can't you just give the Earth a chance?! You might really like it here and you don't even know it!"

Pearl sighs. "I understand that you are upset about the past. But during times such as this, you can't afford to let your guard down like that." Lapis shakes her head. "But the Earth isn't my home! You know that!" Amethyst nods. "I'm sorry. I just wish I didn't come out the way I did."

Steven looks away for a moment as Lapis urges for him to take advantage of the opportunity. "Steven, if we don't leave now, they're gonna bubble me away and you're gonna to stay grounded!" 

Pearl's lips curl upward. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Amethyst. You turned out this way because of the Kindergartens." She places a hand on her cheek. "So please. Don't beat yourself up over this." Steven points at Lapis, glaring at her. 

"Well that is your fault! You didn't need to make Amethyst feel bad o-or get yourself trapped in a mirror!" Lapis clenches her teeth as her eyes widen. Amethyst wraps her arms around Pearl, embracing her as she closes her eyes. Pearl closes her own as Lapis' face scrunches. 

"That's it! You know what?! Stay on this shell for all I care! I'm going home!" Amethyst's lips curl up with glee. "Thank you, Pearl." Lapis turns away from Steven as she starts heading down the stairs. "Goodbye, Steven." She makes her way towards the warp pad as Pearl and Amethyst let go of each other.

They get up and Amethyst turns around as Lapis breaks into a sprint. The front door behind her opens as Pearl and Amethyst widen their eyes. Garnet gasps along with the latter as Lapis freezes in her tracks in between the stunned Crystal Gems.


	18. Crossing The Line

Lapis grimaces as she freezes in her tracks. Garnet stands at the doorway to her right with Pearl and Amethyst stepping on the warp pad to the left. She turns her head towards Steven with wild bulging eyes and cracking clenched teeth. 

Her hands ball up into fists as she turns towards Pearl and Amethyst. She darts towards them as they pull out their weapons. Garnet rushes in from behind as Steven watches from his bedroom, standing on the wooden floorboards. Garnet summons her gauntlets to her hands. "Get her!"

Steven's glare from his recent confrontation with Lapis drops as his eyes droop from his guilty frown. He folds his arms as he casts his eyes down on the floorboards. He knows that Lapis has reached the end of line with him and the Crystal Gems.

But what will things be like for him after Lapis is caught and bubbled away? It can't all end now, can it? Lapis leaps over the counter, ignoring all of the piled up dishes and kitchen appliances stacked on it. The dishes crash and silverware clatters on the ground as Lapis slides through them.

She keeps her balance on the counter as Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst surround her on equal sides of the kitchen. Pearl stands her ground at the exit along with Garnet to her left along with Amethyst closest to the warp pad. 

Lapis' eyes roll around, desperately searching for something she can use against the Gems. Her eyes stop as they lock on the sink's faucet dripping with water. She listens to the droplets plop onto a small puddle as each one replaces another in an endless loop. "Gems! Get ready!" 

Lapis rushes over to the sink as the Gems charge into the kitchen. Lapis looks down at the sink to notice the taps residing on both sides of the faucet. The one on the left is pulled back barely an inch more than the latter. 

Lapis kicks the left tap, causing a stream of water to sprout out of the faucet and into the basin. She smirks as she whips her body towards the Crystal Gems. Steven looks up, widening his eyes as he watches Lapis strike the faucet water at the Gems like a whip. "Stay back!"

Lapis holds the stream of water steady in front of her as the basin puddle resonates from the dripping of the leftover water. She strikes the water towards the Gems, treating it like a snake striking its fangs towards its prey, as they leap out of the way. 

The water hisses as Pearl stands on the cushion next to the fridge, propping her back against it. Garnet and Amethyst stay close against the sides of the counter as Lapis leaps off onto the floorboards. Steven spots the Gems as they prepare themselves for a one on three ambush. 

Pearl holds her spear close to her chest as she clenches her teeth. Steven grits his teeth as he watches Lapis step through the kitchen. He wants to warn her about the ambush--but he doesn't. What if she is right though? What if he really does stay grounded even after all of this is over?

Though reluctant, Steven screams his warning out towards the Homeworld Gem. "Lapis, watch out!" The Gems turn their attention towards Steven with widening eyes, ditching their ambush. Lapis rushes out of the kitchen as she strikes the water at Pearl first, catching her off guard.

Pearl yelps as she rebounds against the fridge before crashing down into the cushions on her stomache. She groans through shut eyes as her left hand clutches it. Lapis hits Garnet next a few seconds later, causing the back of her head to bash into the wall behind her, blinding her vision in a temporary daze.

Last but not least, Amethyst slams her back into the wall from the tip of Lapis' thick water whip with a grunt. She crashes down onto her stomache with squinted shut eyes and she groans in anguish as she presses a hand to the gem embedded on her chest through clenched teeth.

Lapis looks up towards Steven, stalling for a moment. She extends a hand out towards him with a glare. Steven responds with his own. He knows he has crossed the line with his fellow Gems now. What could possibly be worse than being grounded? He doesn't want to know.

He nods and he jumps off the ground. He lands on the couch and he leaps towards Lapis. He rushes towards her and she nods, taking his hand. They dart for the warp pad as Garnet calls out for the young boy. "St-Steven!" Her voice shakes as she clutches her stomache on the ground, facing him. "Don't--do it!" 

Steven stops for a moment, turning back to his old caretakers. He blinks his eyes in his glare. "Goodbye." Garnet gasps, recollecting the memory of Rose's final moments before transforming into Steven. Within a flash, they were gone just the same.


	19. Great Leaders

Steven has really done it now. He still remembers being inside the temple standing amongst the fallen bodies of Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst next to the elusive Homeworld Gem. By warning Lapis, he has confirmed her escape. Once again, he is alongside her for the journey of a lifetime.

Steven floats across from Lapis in the tunnel of light of the warp with a downward curl in his lips. She stares at him for a minute before casting her eyes down, sighing. "You didn't have to do that you know." Steven folds his arms as Lapis continues.

"Why did you warn me?" Steven blinks his eyes. "Look, I just--I felt--ugh!" Lapis' eyes droop as Steven turns his head to his left away from her. "I get it, alright? You didn't want to feel guilty about all of this." Steven narrows his eyes, staring off into space.

"There's more to it than that." Lapis raises her eyebrow. "Like what?" Steven listens to the ringing of the light in his ears as he gives his response. "Lapis, ever since I was born, I've never gotten to know anyone that well other than my dad, Connie, Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst.

"I may have talked to some of the residents that lived there like Lars, Sadie, Buck, Jenny, Sour Cream, Kofi, Nanafua, Mr. Smiley, Mr. Fryman and Peedee, but I've never really felt that--connected with them as I do with you. I may be half human, but I'm a Gem too. I--I want to see Homeworld."

Lapis' lips curl up as Steven turns his head back towards her. "But I'm also scared and I'm worried that the one Gem place in the entire universe isn't what you made it out to be." Lapis chuckles. "Hey, you may stand out, but look at me. I've been out of the game for five millenia and I'm just now coming back myself."

Steven's lips curl up just the same. "That is true." Lapis nods. "Besides, the Diamonds are very merciful and forgiving. I'm sure they'll understand why I was gone for so long. And once we get that straightened out, you can move in with me. The structures on Homeworld are absolutely breathtaking. You should've seen it in its hayday!"

Steven raises an eyebrow. "What was Homeworld like back then?" Lapis' eyes widen in her enthusiasm as she tells him the myths and legends of her Homeworld. "Homeworld is a beacon of light and fidelity for the Gems who serve the great almighty Diamond Authority sworn to protect its citizens and their virtues.

"A rebellion was sparked out of a simple misunderstanding with their policy which led to the devastating Gem War. Pink Diamond would still be there along with all of the Gems who were shattered in the clash had it not been for Rose Quartz's influence." 

Steven's eyes narrow, his nostrils flaring. "My mom was doing what she thought was right, Lapis. She believed that Homeworld wasn't treating its citizens fairly enough, so she wanted to help them." Lapis groans, pressing her left hand to her forehead. 

"You don't get it. It doesn't matter if Homeworld isn't being fair. What matters is that fact that we serve the Diamonds to help them protect us. We may be under a dictatorship, but that is what makes great leaders--great. Rose wasn't anything like that and that is why she lost."

Steven's eyes bulge, clenching his teeth. "Then how come I'm here?! Why are Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst still here instead of on Homeworld?!" Lapis bends her head down, staring in the direction of Steven's sandals. 

"I don't know. But it must've been because of a secret agreement. A truce." Steven puts his right hand to his chin as he contemplates what could've happened between his mom and the Diamonds during the Gem War. 

Lapis keeps to herself as she thinks back to the pleasant times she had on her Homeworld. Steven jolts as a thought slips through his mind. "Lapis!" He stretches out his arms and hands as Lapis gives her undivided attention. 

The light fades as Steven and Lapis stand on the warp pad amongst a field of strawberries as far the eye can see. The duo gapes as Steven steps off the warp pad first. "Whoa. Hey, Lapis, I think we're in the Strawberry Battlefield from my serious mission."


	20. The Strawberry Battlefield

Steven and Lapis wander through the field of strawberries as Steven explains his serious mission to his partner. "So we were inside this inverted pyramid thingy, and Pearl was all panicky and then we were all panicky." 

The aroma of fresh wild strawberries tickle his nose as his lips curl up. "So I was yelling that it was just like the teacup ride back in Funland, but then I realized that the pyramid was just like the teacups! It was spinning us around and around with every path we took so that we would end up right back in the center! 

"Garnet then punched the floor and then we were on top of a bunch of other smaller pyramids all circling around a statue with a corrupted Gem! So I leaped onto that thing and I pulled it right out of the statue. Then everything went crazy and it shut down and then-!" 

Steven makes an explosion sound with his mouth. Lapis giggles as she wanders alongside her friend. "Wow! That must've been so intense for you!" Steven's teeth gladly pop out into his grin as he nods. "It sure was!" Lapis sighs as her lips curl downward. 

"I wish I could've been a part of something like that. I mean, my missions are just a bunch of demands to reshape a part of the planet I was assigned to." Steven's lips curl down just the same as he turns his head up to his right. "Aw, Lapis, no one said you can't be." Lapis' eyes droop down on Steven to her left. "What about THEM?"

Steven stops in his tracks as he puts his hands on his hips. "Well, maybe if we're lucky, we'll find one to catch here!" Lapis casts her eyes down on the ground, turning her head back to the pathway ahead. "Doubtful." The ground starts rumbling as Lapis stops next to Steven.

"Wait!" Steven puts a hand up in front of Lapis to block her as he hears the ground rumbling beneath him. Steven gapes at the ground along with Lapis as the ground cracks a few feet away from them. "Something doesn't sound right." 

Another part of the ground cracks behind them as Steven and Lapis stay as close to each other as possible. Steven rolls his eyes towards Lapis to his right with an eyebrow raising. "I--uh, think today is your lucky day." 

Sure enough, the ground breaks through to their left as a monster pops out of a strawberry. Bits of the strawberry fly in their direction, attaching to Steven's shirt and jeans. Steven and Lapis turn in the direction of the beast as they listen to it screech.

Their eyes bulge with a grimace, taking an abrupt step back with their left foot. The beast appears to be a giant bluish black beetle with two horns sticking out of its head from the front. It has four legs and a rough shell on its back.

Lapis gasps as she gazes at the rectangular, rainbow colored gemstone embedded on the chest. She grits her teeth as a memory flashes through her concious. "I--I was there! On this battlefield! I remember seeing that gem--before-!"  
"Watch out!"

Steven lunges into Lapis, pushing her out of harm's way as the beetle charges past them from where they stood. They grunt as they crash onto the dirt. Steven gets up from Lapis, staring at the beast. Lapis looks straight up towards Steven. "Steven! I recognize that gemstone!"

Steven turns his head to his right towards Lapis as the beetle charges towards him. "What do mean?" The beetle rams into him, knocking him right into a strawberry about the size of him. He grunts as the strawberry bursts upon impact, covering him in its juices and aroma.

The beetle charges towards him once more as Lapis springs into action. Her water wings pop out as her teeth clench towards the beetle. She leaps into the air and she swoops down in front of Steven. 

She lands on her feet and the water wings retract back into her gem just as the beetle rams her into Steven. Steven lands back onto his back with a grunt. He groans as he sits back up, covered in strawberry juice. Lapis' dress is somewhat stained with it as she struggles to get back up.

The beetle screeches as Steven and Lapis whimper for a moment. Lapis takes a step back as she casts her eyes down on the juice surrounding her. "Steven, is there water in this stuff?!"   
"I don't know!" Steven shakes his head, staring at the beetle inching towards the duo.


	21. Strawberry Juice

Steven and Lapis are in a tight spot, standing at the core of a bursted giant strawberry within the Strawberry Battlefield. A corrupted Gem in the form of a beetle with a rainbow colored gem embedded on the chest shrieks at the duo in a fit of rage.

Lapis forces back her grimace, replacing it with an unsteady glare as she tightens her fists. She casts her eyes to the ground to gaze upon the flowing of the juice seeping into the core. Lapis hasn't tried to manipulate a liquid other than the common element of water.

In this predicament however, she must harness her power to manipulate the strawberry juice to her advantage. She raises her left hand up as her fingers retract into a claw. The juice gradually rises from the small pool reaching up to Lapis' skirt as she grits her teeth.

Steven gets up from the pool, his jeans dripping with strawberry juice as Lapis thrusts out her right hand towards the beast. The juice whips the beetle with a slight crack, causing it to reel back as Steven takes an abrupt step back.

The beetle screeches as it recoils to a degree to its left. The beast turns it's head towards Lapis as its eyes bulge. The shell diverges into two seperate flaps. They spring up, allowing the wings to hum as the user stands its ground. 

Lapis waits for the beetle to make the next move as she holds her thin whip of strawberry juice at the ready with her right hand held back. The beetle snorts it springs into the air. The wings flutter in a rapid pace as it charges towards its attacker. 

Steven grimaces as he leaps in front of her, popping his sheild just in time. Steven grunts with squinted shut eyes as he crashes into Lapis, knocking her down with him back into the pool. Lapis groans as the beetle reproaches Steven and her with a left stomp.

Steven recovers first as the beetle thrusts itself forward towards him. His shield pops out only to dissapate the second it does, knocking Steven off the strawberry and into the field. He groans as he clutches his naval in anguish.

He stays down on his left side on the grass and dirt as Lapis yells out to him. "Steven!" The right side of her form is stained with the juice from the pool even though Steven caught more of that on the entirety of his body. The beetle immediately knocks Lapis off towards the very edge of the strawberry.

Lapis clenches her teeth as she turns her head to her right, laying on the ground. Her right eye twitches, bruised from the impact as the beetle hisses at her. Lapis pants, her chest heaving as she looks into the beasts' crazed smile that she remembered looking into--but only for a moment back during the Gem War.

Time freezes as Lapis recollects her last moments in the midst of Era One. She swooped down onto the ground as explosions went off around her. She covered her ears through clenched teeth as she squints her eyes. 

She turned around as a Gem, a Bismuth, leaped towards her. Lapis gasps, turning to attempt to get away from her only to get jabbed in the gem, instantly getting poofed for the next five millenia to be trapped within her gemstone. 

Back in reality, Lapis casts her eyes towards the gemstone on the beast's chest. Her eyes narrow as she sits up to reach out for the pool. She grunts as the juice rises off the surface and up towards the sky. The beetle, only inches away from her now, steps onto her bare mid region with it's front left leg.

Lapis doesn't allow herself to slip out of focus as keeps her eye on the juice. The beetle bends its head down towards her face as she flips her left hand back. The juice snaps at the beetle's butt, causing it to reel back a bit off her body. 

The juice descends as it passes the rear end down towards the chest. Lapis doesn't make a sound as she concentrates on the juice's movement. She keeps her hands steady as she twists her pointer finger left and right, gradually pulling back her arm. 

The beetle doesn't notice the slow, careful action as it stays still, unaware of the stream of juice hovering just below the chest towards the gemstone. 

Once it reaches it's destination, Lapis flicks her finger forward--and back, allowing the juice to whip the gem, instantly poofing the beast. The beetle vanishes in a plume of smoke after a one final screech of astonishment. The leftover gemstone plops into the pool of strawberry juice as Lapis rests her head, closing her eyes with a sigh.


	22. Roses Within Warps

Garnet, with the rare power of future vision, knew that Steven and the elusive Lapis Lazuli would end up getting into trouble at one of three seperate locations, each with a similar outcome. She warned Steven not to go with the Homeworld Gem.

Unfortunately, because of his treatment and fear from his guilt, he chose this fate, oblivious to the dangers that lie ahead for him. She failed to protect him--twice now. She failed to stop him from entering the ocean and now the temple warp.

Garnet currently hovers with Pearl and Amethyst floating across from her in the tunnel of light, folding her arms. "I can't believe he did it--again!" Amethyst concurs with Pearl. "Yeah! It's as if Lapis erased his mind with her witch powers or something!"

Garnet shakes her head as it bends down to avoid eye contact with either Gem. "Lapis Lazuli doesn't have the capability of wiping away people's memories. But she can manipulate them through simple persuasion being that her main element derives from her Diamond."

Pearl puts her left hand to her chin, groaning through her enclosed lips. "That is true. Her power can be limitless--and Steven being a young and innocent boy can easily be convinced due to having a provincial mind." 

Amethyst's eyes droop as she folds her arms, turning her head towards Pearl to her left. "What do you suppose we do?" Garnet answers for her. "We're going to find them--and we're not gonna stop until we do. Once we get ahold of Lapis, we're going to poof her and bubble her away the first chance we get. We already tried to reason with her, so now we're gonna have to contain her."

Pearl and Amethyst exchange anxious looks with curled down lips as the light of the tunnel fades. The Gems stand on one of the dozens of warp pads on the Galaxy Warp. Garnet steps off first and she adjusts her visor with her left hand. 

"Alright. Pearl, take the warp to the Strawberry Battlefield. Amethyst will take the Kindergarten and I'll head over to Rose's Fountain. If one of us finds Steven, use this." Garnet pulls out two warp whistles from her Sapphire gemstone. "The--warp whistles?"

Garnet nods. "Yes. Once you use it, the nearest warp pad will activate and the remainder of us will arrive to the location in an instant. DON'T lose it." Pearl and Amethyst nod and Garnet rushes over to the fountain warp straight ahead. Pearl heads to the warp pad to her right and Amethyst darts down her left.

Their warps activate and they vanish in a flash into the network of tunnels. Pearl, heading towards the correct location, casts her eyes down with a sigh. She holds up her warp whistle in her left hand and she narrows her eyes. "Don't worry, Rose. I'm coming."

The light of her tunnel fades and she stands on the warp pad of the Strawberry Battlefield. She stands there, speechless as her eyes well up for a moment. She wipes her tears with her arms before focusing back on the mission. "Alright, Lapis. Where are you keeping Steven?"

She steps off the warp pad and she wanders through the battlefield as she turns her head left--right--up--down. She wraps her arms around herself, grabbing them as she casts her eyes down on the dirt path stretching out for miles ahead. She listens to her crunching footsteps as she blinks her eyes.

She flashes back to the Gem War back when Rose was still--Rose. She remembers watching her clash with Quartz soldiers with her gleaming thick pink sword and shield which is now in Steven's care and possession. Pearl's eyes droop as she remembers fusing with Rose to form the radiant, elegant Rainbow Quartz.

In battle, the fusion was flawless. With her combined weapon of spear and shield, Rainbow Quartz wielded a parasol. She twirled it and swung it like a hammer to blow away the opposition with a salty smirk. 

Blowing a kiss, she left her existence on the battlefield. Pearl, back in the present time period, sniffled at such a beautiful memory, wishing that she could be a part of it for as long as time would allow it. 

Her eyes build up their lacrimal essence as her eyelids convulse in the mental pain. She finally lets the tears roll down her cheeks as she stops in her tracks. "If only you were still here--you wouldn't have been as vulnerable as he--but yet you left. You left--me."


	23. A Moment's Recovery

The sun sets on the battlefield, allowing the strawberries across the valley to take in and absorb the sun's rays as the moon arises a waxing gibbous. The stars align a crevice in the night sky as a steady breeze passes through Steven and Lapis.

Steven gradually opens his eyes in the grass nearby a bursted strawberry, groaning from the injuries he has sustained from his recent battle with a corrupted Gem. His clothes including his shirt, jeans and sandals has melded with the strawberry juice that stained them, giving off a tint of a vibrant red.

He grunts as he sits up from laying unconcious on his left side. He allows his eyes to adjust to his surroundings from a hazy sight of vision. He presses his left hand to his stomache as it grumbles for more reasons than one. He grits his teeth, lifting his head up.

A memory flashes in his concious of the battle in which he was thrown and he gasps. He gets up as an immense pain ignites in his naval. He yells as he clutches it through clenched teeth. He falls back down to the ground and he grunts as he lands face-first onto the dirt.

Steven has fought corrupted Gems before such as the Centipeedle--or those Gem shards that possessed Frybo--or even the Holo Pearl-! Oh wait. That doesn't count. He may have fought powerful Gems before, but he never encountered a creature as powerful as the Bismuth beetle.

That creature has seriously put him and Lapis on edge. It was honestly the first battle he actually thought he wouldn't win especially without the help of his fellow Gems. He crawls towards Lapis as he clutches his stomache with his left hand, grunting and groaning as he makes his way up the hill towards his companion.

He spots Lapis' curved ocean blue hair just up ahead and he picks up the pace, widening his eyes. He gasps, stopping in his tracks as he puts a hand to his mouth. Lapis isn't doing any better than he is. She is lying on the edge of the strawberry, her head tilted to the right with shut eyes.

"Lapis?" Steven grimaces as he presses a hand her chest. There is no heartbeat, but that is only because the gemstone on her back is technically her heart. Steven brings the hand back up his chin as Lapis groans from her recovery. She opens her eyes, her voice groggy. "Steven?"

Steven's lips curl up into a grin as he embraces Lapis, forcing her to sit up. He wraps his arms around the chest of her dress as she chuckles. "I'm alright! Look! We did it!" She extends her right hand out towards the pool which contains a dormant corrupted Bismuth gemstone.

Steven gasps, immediately letting go of Lapis as he gets up. She crashes back down on her back as he darts for the gemstone just beneath the pool's surface. His sandals splash through the strawberry juice as he pants. He reaches down for the gemstone and he pulls it out of the pool. 

The gemstone slowly drips with the thick bits of strawberry as Steven holds it with both hands. "You forgot to bubble it?" Lapis grits her teeth as Steven attempts to bubble it, his grin fading into his frown. He spreads his arms out as the gem on his stomache glows--only to glitch out.

He clutches his stomache as he yelps in anguish. The gemstone plops right back down into the pool as Lapis sits up straight. She gets up and she rushes towards Steven. Her feet splashes through the small pool as she heads towards him. 

She stops right behind him, starting to feel concern towards the young boy. "Steven?" Steven bends down to look upon his shirt. He lifts it up to his chest and he gasps, immediately letting go of the rim. He stumbles into Lapis as his heart pounds against his chest, fearing the worst.

"L-Lapis! I-I think my gem is cracked!" Lapis covers her mouth with her left hand as Steven pulls up the rim of his shirt again with his right hand. He licks his left hand and he slaps it onto his gem. 

The crack only exacerbates, causing Steven to start hyperventilating. His eyes well up as his body starts to stiffen. He falls over and Lapis catches him before he could land on his back. "Steven!" Steven sniffles as traumatic possibilities bounce through his mind, numbing his concious in a tizzy.

"L-Lapis! Pl-Please get me to my mom's fountain--n-now!" Lapis shushes him, trying her absolute best to console him from the dilemma. "Okay! Just--calm down! It's going to alright!" 

Steven sobs, tears streaming down his cheeks. "No! It's not!"  
"STEVEN?!" The two lift their heads up, their eyes bulging as the figure standing in front of them pulls out a spear, pointing it directly towards them.


	24. Fight and Flight

There is nothing to hear but the eerie, tense silence taking up the perimeter of the Strawberry Battlefield. Pearl, having successfully located the wanted Homeworld Gem and the offspring of her one and only love, stands her ground a few feet away in front of them.

The grip on her spear tightens as she narrows her eyes. "What--did you do to him?" The tone of her voice is one she hasn't spoken with in a millenia, a mix of rage and stern expression. Steven holds a finger up, opening his mouth--he shuts it for the corruption is starting to develop from within.

Steven, being half-human, undergoes a different kind of corruption. It may not affect his physical appearance, but it can infect his interior or whatever may be inside of him. Steven can feel his heart slowing down as his muscles weaken, forcing his body to go limp.

Lapis, noticing that Steven is slipping out of her hands, grips his armpits which are covered by his stained shirt. She grunts as she looks up towards the spear's tip. She grimaces as the tip of Pearl's spear brightens in cyan. "DON'T move!" 

Lapis looks back down at Steven's unconcious visage as he groans. She lifts her head back up to confront the Pearl. "It wasn't me! I swear! There was a beetle and-!" Pearl clenches her teeth. "Liar! There are no more corrupted Gems around here because if there was one, Garnet would've informed me of it!" 

Lapis reproaches her, taking a step forward with crossing eyebrows. "Well apparently she was wrong because there was one and I can prove it!" Pearl raises an eyebrow, letting her spear down a bit as she detaches her left hand to pull her whistle out of her gem.

Lapis bends down, detaching her right hand from Steven to reach out for the gemstone, its outer layer just above the surface. Steven slips through Lapis' grip and he crashes down into the pool, causing Pearl to react. She gasps as her eyes bulge. "Oh! That's it!" 

The whistle dissapates and Pearl grips the spear with her left hand. Pearl splashes through the pool as she charges towards Lapis, raising her spear towards her. Lapis raises an eyebrow, lifting her head up. "Huh?" Pearl slams the tip of her spear into her mid-region. She grunts as she flies towards the edge of the pool.

She groans, pressing her left hand against it as Pearl steps up towards her, pointing her spear down. Lapis thrusts out her left hand and a stream of strawberry juice sprouts out towards Pearl. The juice slaps her face and she drops her spear, allowing it to dissapate.

She grunts as she presses her right hand to her cheek. Lapis gets up, her dress dripping with the juice as she curls her fingers into fists. She thrusts out her right fist and the juice turns into a small fist with an arm attached to jab at Pearl. She clocks her left cheek--her chest--her jaw--her gem-!" 

Pearl ducks just before Lapis could hit the gem on her forehead. Pearl whips out another spear from her gem as Lapis leaps towards Steven to her right behind the opposition. She grunts as she lands next to his left arm. Pearl whips her body around as Lapis sprouts out her water wings. 

She hops into the air and Pearl lifts her head up towards the night sky as Lapis hovers a few feet into the air. She growls before she yells, launching her spear towards Lapis. Lapis swerves to her left as the spear passes a few inches from her dress. 

Pearl whips out another spear and she clenches her teeth as she fires balls of light towards Lapis. Lapis swoops down towards her, grunting as she swerves to her right--left--right to avoid the projectiles. She retracts her wings just before she crashes into her. 

They collide as they splash into the pool of strawberry juice. They wrestle with each other, their forms staining with the juice as they roll one another through the goop. Pearl strikes her spear down towards Lapis' face as Lapis squints her eyes shut, tilting her head to her left. 

She licks the juice from her lips which curls up for a moment in delight. "Huh. Not bad." She grits her teeth as she thrusts her right hand, covered with juice, into Pearl's face to push her off of her. Pearl grunts, getting back on her feet. 

She wipes the juice from her face as Lapis gets back up from the surface. She turns to Steven and she shields her eyes as the gemstone nearby starts to glow. Lapis smirks as Pearl turns to the gemstone. "No. It can't be." She whips out her spear as Lapis pulls Steven from the juice.

She lifts him up with a grunt into her arms and her water wings pop out of her gem once more. She leaps into the air just before the beetle reforms in front of Pearl. Pearl takes a step back, widening her eyes as she thrusts her spear out in front of her. 

"So where have been? Hiding in strawberries all this time?!" Pearl completely loses track of her mission, alternating her quest as she turns her undivided attention towards the beast. Lapis flies away, panting as she grunts from the burden of Steven's unconcious body in her arms.


	25. Before The Era Of Travesty

Lapis grunts from carrying Steven's weight and Steven groans from the immense pain in his naval where his gem resides. As they soar through the night sky, Lapis attempts to have a word with her companion. 

"Steven, Pearl said there were no more corrupted Gems around. But yet we encountered one from my past here--on this battlefield." Steven, through squinted shut eyes only resumes his groaning in response. 

"It--it makes me wonder. Does my return have something to do with that? That there could be more corrupted Gems that can be--linked to me specifically in some way?" Steven presses a hand to his stomache as Lapis' eyes droop. 

"I don't get it. I don't get why my return just--it just changed everything! I mean--your caretakers are after us, there are more corrupted Gems out there--and there may never be a way to get back to Homeworld." She narrows her eyes. 

"It's all my fault. You can say it is yours too, Steven. But face it! It was all truly mine! Because of the mirror--because of me!" Her eyes well up as she flaps her wings. "Why did I have to be the one to be trapped in a stupid mirror?! Why did I have to be caught up in that--that Gem War?!"

A tear rolls down her right cheek. "Why does my existence revolve around nothing but travesty?!" Her voice cracks as she sniffles. "Why, Steven?" Steven, as much as he wants to talk to Lapis, to help console her the same way she consoled him, could only shift his lips an inch back.

Lapis casts her eyes down on the field of strawberries reflecting the moonlight upon her like the glossy frame of her mirror. She rolls her eyes back up to the sky to avoid the traumatic stress consuming her. 

"It wasn't supposed to be this way. I was supposed to be here on Earth for a short time--and then leave. But I didn't. I never--got that chance--to go back home." She stays silent as tears stream down her cheeks. Steven puts his right hand to Lapis' left arm. 

She looks down at him and she gives him a sad smile. "Don't worry. We'll get to the fountain soon. And maybe after that, we can hunt down the other corrupted Gems--together. Just--promise me that you won't risk your life for me like that again. To me, that is much more precious than mine."

Steven pulls off a chuckle as Lapis bends her head down once more to navigate the area for the warp pad. "It looks--really nice out here I'll admit. The last time I was here though, it was nothing like this. I just--wish I came after the war was over, you know? Maybe I would've been one of them. A Crystal Gem."

She chuckles. "But--come on. I can't turn my back on my Diamond just like that. We remain loyal to them unless we perceive otherwise. My Diamond isn't terrible--well, not like Yellow Diamond and--White Diamond. She was generally very forgiving and merciful towards her Court. I remember a time when--um."

She takes a moment to recollect a certain memory. "You see, I remember a time when an Agate--uh, I forgot her name--but she didn't exactly do what she was supposed to--which was to monitor this place known to  Homeworld as the Artillery House. It's the place where all of the weapons are kept in storage."

She failed to catch this one Gem--who I assume is a Crystal Gem--she managed to take about a dozen swords and get away. It wasn't until after the alarm that the Agate realized the Gem got away." She giggles. 

"It's kinda funny actually when you think about it. Luckily for her, Blue Diamond reassigned her to monitor the human zoo instead with the support of banished Quartzes and Off Colors from her Court. No one has ever heard of her since then." 

She blinks her eyes. "Before that mishap, she was an elite in the Court and a very respectable one too. That's what a friend of mine told me anyway. She even had a perfect record because--well, if you didn't, you would technically be either bubbled away or shattered." 

She notices a gleam in the shubbery and she widens her eyes. She swoops down for it, dropping down at a gradual, careful rate before landing on her feet. She stands before the warp pad with Steven in her arms. 

"Alright. Let's get your gem fixed." She steps onto the warp pad. "After that, we're going on a Gem hunt." She warps away with him as the battlefield fades from their vision within the tunnel of light.


	26. Misleading Misconceptions

Despite being within the sanctuary of the tunnel of light, Steven's insides grow weaker as the unstable pain in his stomache starts to overtake his stable condition. Lapis has no clue as to where Rose's Fountain resides but she knows that there is only so much time to heal Steven's cracked gem.

Before long, Steven will, as of worst case scenario, die an unforgiving death rather than mutate in the corruption. Lapis shifts her head left and right as her forehead sweats. She whimpers as she grimaces, pressing Steven's limp body to her chest.

"Oh where is that fountain?!" Not once did Lapis actually help Steven throughout their journey that now, she must pay a tricky piper. She only has the knowledge of so many locations on Earth--excluding the fountain. 

Steven fends off the corruption, grunting and growling--his screams weaken as the minutes pass in the final hour. Lapis bends her head down to cast her eyes down on Steven's hair. She immediately turns Steven's body around, pulling away while gripping the sides of his shirt.

"Steven, please! You need to help me help you! Please say something--do something to get us to where we need to be!" Steven gasps for breath as his eyes bulge open. He clutches his stomache as his clenches his teeth. "Hrgh! Gah! J-Just--go find someone who does! It's--the only way!"

Steven's eyes close as he detaches his hands from stomache. His teeth separates as his mouth drops opens with his head tilting up in front of his unfortunate last hope. Lapis lets go of Steven as she presses her hands to her ears, growling. "Do I really have to turn myself in for this?!"

Her eyes droop as she casts her eyes on Steven. "This--this just--can't go on like this." With a heavy sigh, Lapis thrusts a hand out to break away from the tunnel. Steven's limp body plops down on the warp pad as Lapis takes a abrupt step back, gasping.

"This is--!" She gulps as she gazes at the canyon of purple sandstone surrounding her within the eerie fog. "Steven, we should go. We shouldn't be here." She bends her head down, frowning upon Steven's unconscious body. "Well, I guess you can stay here for a bit." She steps past his body towards the edge of the warp pad.

She turns back to Steven for a moment. "Don't worry, Steven. I'll be right back." Water wings pop out of her gem as she turns back to the unknown dead ahead of her. She grunts as she leaps into the air. Her water wings flutter as she casts her eyes down on the canyon.

Her eyes droop as her eyes shift from hole to hole out of millions. She brings herself down into the canyon as she looks upon an injector drill lodged into the ground. "So--this is how it was done." Lapis knew about the Kindergartens--but everything she ever knew about them was just a facade of the actual picture bestowed to her perception.

Lapis could feel a knot in the pit of her stomache tighten from each of the horrors she is witnessing. "These holes--they're just--artificial and processed." Lapis' voice cracks as the irony of her discovery takes effect. "I thought--these would be made of--natural resources."

There is a chill running up Lapis' spine as the fluttering of her wings come to a steady halt. "I don't understand--why is it all like this?" Lapis glides down to the ground until she lands on her feet, her water wings retreating into her gem. She wraps her arms around her body as she shivers through squinted shut eyes.

She opens them as she shifts her head to her right. Through her ocean blue irises, she has seen a hole that is stuck to the ground with a shorter stature but with the proper angle. Lapis widens her eyes as she raises an eyebrow. She carefully approaches the hole step--after step--crunching through the dirt.

She stops only inches away, pressing a hand above the hole. After a few more somber seconds of silence, a crack resonates from the hole, causing Lapis to jolt. She gasps as she jumps back. She stares at the hole as a vibrant, purple glow penetrates the void within.


	27. On The Whips

Lapis' chest pounds against itself as she stands her ground, her body convulsing. A deep, somewhat raspy voice speaks through the darkness within the hole in front of the intruder. "Well what do you know." 

The speaker scoffs as a purple hand reaches out into the dull light of the Kindergarten. "I should've known you would be here at some point. Garnet told me herself." Amethyst pokes her head out with a glare fixed to her visage.

A few hours ago, Lapis had bullied Amethyst, spitting out such hateful remarks and slurs to her face. Much to her surprise, everything that Lapis has said was disturbingly correct. Lapis attempts to resist a grimace as she curls her fingers into fists.

Amethyst stands in front of her hole with her hands on her hips and a raising eyebrow, shifting her eyes back and forth in search of something that should be in her precense--but isn't. "Where's Steven?" 

Lapis takes a step back as Amethyst reproaches her with a trembling finger pointing directly at her. "What did you do to him?! Where is he?!" Amethyst's chest heaves up and down as her nostrils flare, fearing that Lapis has done her companion in to help her selfish self escape.

As much as Lapis doesn't want to give away the location of Steven's dying body, she knows that there is only so much she could do to help Steven out on her own. "He's on the warp pad! We were at the Strawberry Battlefield and there was a corrupted Gem over there that damaged Steven's gem."

Amethyst gapes, her eyebrows crossing. "You're telling me that Steven's gem is cracked and you just decided to leave him on the warp pad to rot?!" Lapis takes another step back--Amethyst stomps forward, gripping her whip. 

"Amethyst, please! You need to help me get Steven to his mother's foutain. I mean--we're running out of time here!" Amethyst bends her head down, her visage darkening. "You just expect me to help you help Steven after getting himself hurt in your dirty hands? Fat chance."

Lapis stands up straight as she counters her argument. "Well don't you care about Steven? I mean, the longer we put this off, the shorter the time we have to help him." Amethyst clenches her teeth, reaching into her gemstone as it shimmers. "Let's make a deal."

She brings her head back up, thrusting the warp whistle out in front of Lapis. "You think you're so high and fancy talking down to me? Why don't you prove it?!" She lashes out her whip as Lapis' eyes bulge. She dives out of the way and she starts running. 

Her water wings pop out of her gemstone as she pants, her stamina depleting as she slows down. She leaps into the air--only to have her leg caught up in the ends of the crystal whip. Amethyst grunts as she pulls down on the whip just as Lapis turns her cheek the other way to notice.

Lapis screams as she crashes down into the dirt below. Amethyst smirks, tugging on the whip as Lapis pushes herself up--only to crash down on her back. Amethyst taps her fingers against the whistle in her left hand as she chuckles.

"So you just thought you could come up to me and expect my help but then fly away afterwards? You're one crazy water witch for ever believing that." Lapis attempts to get back up again, turning on her side to reach for the unreachable. She grunts as Amethyst tugs her back down again.

Amethyst presses a boot down on Lapis' back just above her butt as she casts her eyes down on the gemstone only inches away from her. She reaches down for it as Lapis attempts to turn herself back over to knock her off. Lapis squirms to no avail, grunting as Amethyst closes her fingers around the gem.

She starts tugging on it as she presses her other boot onto Lapis' back. She grunts as her muscles contract with Lapis desperately seeking a way out of her dilemma. If she doesn't do something quick, Lapis will poof and she will be turned in and bubbled away by her underestimated nemesis.


	28. Capture The Lapis

Lapis could feel her form starting to lose touch with reality, her body fading in her own perception of the dilemma. Amethyst grunts as she pulls on Lapis' gem to no end, growling as her cheeks heat up. "Why--won't you--poof?!" 

Lapis screams for a few moments in anguish before snapping herself out of the torture. She bulges her eyes open, clenching her teeth as Amethyst starts wailing at her. "Poof already!" Amethyst's voice strains and cracks as her strength starts to give out.

Lapis finally thrusts her right leg up to kick Amethyst in the back with a yell sort of grunt. Amethyst wheezes as she stumbles forward on Lapis' back. Lapis huffs as she turns her back over to the left side just enough to knock Amethyst off of her.

Amethyst crashes down on her butt as Lapis sits up, pressing a hand to her back. She groans with Amethyst as the two turn to face each other, lifting their heads up as they pant. Fog passes into the area as the grey clouds in the sky take a darker hue.

Lapis smirks as she crawls until her body directs itself on her opponent. "You really--think you can--just poof--me--like that? A Bismuth--did that to me--you should've--punched me--in the back!" 

Amethyst chuckles, letting off her own sneer. "Well--I thought that--pulling your gem--off your back--would do the trick better. Maybe I'll--actually give you-!" Amethyst stands up as she pounds her right fist into the palm of her left hand. "The ol'--one two!" 

Lapis groans once more as she stands back up just the same, though smiling. "I'd like--to see you try!" Lapis allows her teeth to greet her challenger as her water wings pop out of her gem once more. She leaps into the air and her wings flutter as she starts to get some distance from Amethyst.

Her original intention with them was to leave the Kindergarten and flee with Steven's body hopefully unscathed as of right now. This time, she is going to attempt to get Amethyst REALLY fired up--by a game of capture the flag. 

Lapis obviously doesn't know that game, but she does get the gist of it. After having her wings flutter a dozen times, Lapis stops and waits for the sound of the cracking whip before putting everything into action. 

Amethyst scoffs down below as she lets go of the warp whistle, allowing it to dissipate from her hand. She pulls out a second whip in its place as the one that caught Lapis dissaptes from her leg. Amethyst lashes out after a few seconds of watching Lapis soar a few feet to her right.

"GOTCHA!" Lapis dives to her left out of the way as the ends of the whip narrowly hits her cheek. Lapis laughs as her eyebrows cross down. "Sorry! You missed!" Amethyst drops the smirk, forcing back her glare as she lashes out again with her other whip in her left hand.

Lapis circles Amethyst from above as the vulture she is within the Quartz's eyes.  Lapis swerves to the right, diving down as she tilts her body, her fluttering wings facing Amethyst. Amethyst lashes out again as her forehead furrows. 

Lapis swerves down to the left, her wings switching tactics with her body. Amethyst growls as she lashes out both whips at the same time, yelling at the peak of her frustration in her failed attempts. Lapis doesn't make a move to turn tail on her opponent's assault this time.

After a few seconds, Lapis turns back to a standing position in midair just in time to grip the ends of the whips before they could hit her mid region. Amethyst's eyes bulge, gasping as Lapis tugs on the ends of the whips. Amethyst slips off the ground for a few seconds before regaining her footing.

Lapis' muscles contract, grunting as she grips the whips with a bit more force before flying off towards the warp pad not far ahead of her. Amethyst hangs on to them as she rises from the ground. She grunts as she attempts to climb them up towards Lapis a few feet higher up.

She grabs the thorns of the ropes attached to the handles of the whips one--after the other. She supports her boots against the handles until she starts climbing at an urgent, but cautious pace. Halfway through, Amethyst casts her eyes down on the warp pad--on Steven.

Amethyst gasps, letting go of the whips from the shock. She crashes down onto the warp pad on her feet--before falling over flat on her face. She gets up groaning and she grimaces as she turns around, sitting up. She scrambles to her feet and she rushes up to Steven's unconscious body.

Lapis laughs as she circles them from above, believing that Amethyst is still on her tail. Amethyst turns Steven's body over onto her back before lifting up his shirt. She covers her mouth as her eyes well up. She thrusts her head up towards the sky and she hollers out to her sneering nemesis.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HIM?! TO ALL OF US!" Lapis snaps herself out of her game, letting go of the ends of the whips. She immediately stops laughing as the whips dissipate on their way down towards the ground. She turns the other way, gazing down upon an infuriated Amethyst gripping the shirt of a dying Steven.

Amethyst's nostrils flare as she points a trembling finger up towards Lapis. "MARK MY WORDS, LAPIS! YOU WILL PAY FOR ALL OF THIS! JUST YOU WAIT!" Amethyst thrusts her free left hand out. The warp pad glows as a beacon of vibrant blue light bursts up towards the sky. Lapis gasps before she swoops down into the light just as it travels up into the sky.


	29. An Outbreak Of Tears

The warp pad tunnel has never felt so cold to Lapis now than it ever did before. Outside of every warp tunnel, there is a vacuum, a chilling realm that no being should ever dare enter whether it would be a Gem or a human--like Steven.

Steven. The boy that Lapis has failed to protect in her stead. She said herself to them that she is a guardian to Steven, but only a true guardian would defend one other than itself. This all happened--because she underestimated her own responsibilities.

Now, Lapis could only embrace herself and shudder with her head held down with no intention of rising back up. "This shouldn't have happened." She grits her teeth. "None of it." She squeezes herself in her own embrace as her body convulses. "This--was all because of me. You should have let me go."

She closes her eyes, sighing--before whispering a tune. "You are now broken and now I am shaking--from this--corruption. I just want to be--free. I--just want to be--free. To escape from here. When you found me--I let you in. When you saw me--I took you in--under my wings.

"Under my wings. We breezed across oceans in search for a way home. But trauma and travesty took me into the storm. When you healed me--I broke you instead. When you fought me--I ditched you then. And I--let you back in--under my wings. Under my wings. Oh I took you--under my wings.

"When we surrounded--have had bounced back. When all hope was lost--we found a way to win. But the cost was too much. The cost--was just--too much. Too--much. That was caused when I took you. When I--took you. Under my wings. Under my--away under my--wings."

She lifts her head back up to face the surrounding tunnel with her drooping eyes and tearstained cheeks. Lapis gasps, her eyes bulging as a teardrop slides down her left cheek. Lapis pats the tear off her cheek before bringing it up to her face.

She stares at the droplet of water on her hand, intrigued of this newfound power to produce her own element. "I--can make--water?" Lapis brings her tear-free right hand to the tear, leaving it hanging just a few feet over it. Lapis bites her lip as she flicks her right hand up. 

The tear in her left hand splits to form two smaller droplets as it rises a couple inches into the air. Lapis raises an eyebrow as makes another movement to split the two water molecules into four miniature water molecules that she could barely view in her perception.

It's amazing. The power to produce water, even in a cute little droplet, has been a discovery that no Lapis has ever realized. That has been due to the monotonous nature of a Lapis back on Homeworld. 

She has never cried or shed a tear--no one has since they had no reason to. She saw Steven do it, but she didn't get it--until now. Crying is a power that can only be tapped in when one is lost and upset about something as big as Steven's endangerment. 

A few minutes ago, Amethyst seen Steven's infected body--and much to her dismay--takes Steven away from her. That won't happen again. Lapis finally snaps out of her power as she brings her fists down to her sides. She hangs her head up towards the great beyond and she nods to herself. 

Wherever Amethyst is taking Steven, Lapis knows that this next task will not be easy. Not even close. Amethyst, holding Steven's limp body close to her. Swipes her right hand through clenched teeth, breaking away the connection with the tunnel. 

Lapis grimaces as she stands on the next warp pad--with Amethyst's hair laid down as an impediment in her focus. Lapis stiffens and holds her mouth shut, nearly biting her lip as Amethyst steps off the warp pad. 

After a grunt from the strain of carrying Steven's weight, Amethyst steps up towards a structure just up ahead with sound of rushing water. Lapis whispers to herself. "It can't be." Fortunately, Amethyst is far enough out of earshot to have heard that. 

Lapis carefully steps off the warp pad before she starts following her into the one place she was supposed to go, but shouldn't have entered. Lapis sweeps her right hand through a rose bush and her eyes bulge as she gapes upon the sight she had feared since the continuation of her journey--which has now been put to a devastating halt.


	30. The Fountain Reunion

Amethyst grunts under Steven's weight as she lugs him over to a stern, somewhat glaring Garnet who has folded her arms, casting her eyes down on him from behind her signature visor. "Hmph!" Amethyst lets out one final, strained grunt as she lays him down on his back.

In the blink of an eye, Garnet flicks the wrist of her left hand to have her palm facing the dull pink sky above. A glimmering cyan whistle pops up a few inches above it as she swipes it from the air. She brings it up to her mouth to plug her mouth on the thinning side, bringing certain fingers up and down in a pattern.

A strange, indescribable sound in which can be compared to that of a bird call resonates throughout the area. Within seconds later, the warp pad behind Lapis activates as a threatening blue beacon shoots straight up into the sky.

As the plume of smoke rises from this explosion within her perception, Lapis leaped into the bushes out of harms way as a familiar slim figure appears from the dissipating beacon. She pants as she rushes over to her allies. "G-Garnet! The-!" 

She nearly collapses on Steven's body as she slaps her hands down on her knees, gasping for breath. She slaps her left hand on Garnet's thick right leg. "The corruption is spreading!" Garnet whips her glare over to her asset. "Pearl, why didn't you call us?"

Pearl grimaces at her before casting her eyes down towards Amethyst. "I--did you have your whistle, Amethyst?" Amethyst gulps as Garnet groans. "You two lost your whistles, didn't you?" The two bring their heads down in shame as Garnet shifts away from Pearls reach, forcing her to retract her hand.

Garnet scoffs. "I thought you two were taking this mission seriously! We can't afford anymore errors like this! If something like this happens to Steven, and we mess up again, we're not getting him back!" Garnet picks up Steven's body and hauls him over her shoulder. 

She turns away from the Gems as Lapis watches through her bulging eyes. Garnet approaches the fountain as Lapis narrows her eyes from behind the rose bush. Garnet steps up to the rushing water as she brings the unconscious body from her shoulder to where she could see him face to face.

She waits a few moments before simply dropping Steven into the water. With a heavy splash, Lapis gawks at the action, nearly gasping from her disgust. Garnet folds her arms as she bends her head down as the water glows a tint of pink. 

Pearl and Amethyst watch from behind as Lapis, behind them, triggers her trap. With the flick of her own wrist from the left hand, a mountain of water sprouts up into the air, causing Garnet to jolt as Pearl and Amethyst take an abrupt step back. 

Garnet whips her body around, clenching her teeth as Pearl and Amethyst gape with their backs turned towards their leader. Lapis leaps out of the bush, sprouting out her water wings a few feet up to allow herself to hover. She curls her fingers into fists as her wings flutter in the sight of the Gems.

They stand their ground as Garnet lifts her head up to confront her nemesis, raising her voice in a battle cry. "Lapis Lazuli, this is your final warning! Stand down or be destroyed!" Pearl and Amethyst pulls out their weapons as gauntlets flash onto Garnet's hands.

Lapis remains still for a moment as her eyes dart towards the glowing water of the fountain. After a moment's notice, Lapis springs into action as she launches herself towards the water. "GEMS! Take her out!" 

Amethyst lashes out her whip first as Lapis dives down just enough to have the back of her hair meet the ends of the weapon. Pearl launches her spear next--Lapis catches the spear as it passes through her fingers and off towards the rose bush she was hiding in.

In a heavy splash, Lapis carries a wave of water big enough to take the Gems by surprise, forcing them to shield their eyes. Lapis holds her mouth shut as she swims down towards a--still cracked Steven. Lapis stops for a moment, allowing her mouth to drop.

"It--didn't work?!" Out of the blue, the water zaps and sparks as Lapis screams a torrent of bubbles from her mouth. Steven's body experiences the shock as it pokes small holes into his skin with strings of blood and smoke spewing out from them. 

Lapis drifts down towards Steven, taking his limp right hand through gritted teeth. She embraces him and she convulses from the shock as she squints her eyes shut for a moment. She brings her head towards the surface and she starts kicking back up, flailing her free right arm. 

She gasps as her head pops out of the surface of the water for a moment. The second time she resurfaces, she meets the intense fury of the Gems standing in right front of her with all of their weapons aiming down at its targets.


	31. Tearful Pleas

Lapis could only grimace and cower under the tension as she holds Steven's limp body close to her, having failed to recover in the fountain water. Now what? Call it a good run and abandon all hope to these Crystal Gems?

Lapis' vision blurs as she pants, her eyes filing up with liquid. She gasps, allowing her tears to start rolling down her cheeks. She wipes them off her cheeks with a single finger, covering portions of it in--water. She bends her head down towards Steven.

He has his left hand covering his naval, the place where his gem resides embedded within him. She narrows her eyes and she exhales, closing them. The Gems stand their ground not far in front of her. 

If she dares to make an attack on any of them, the others will step in and poof her before she is taken away to get bubbled. The Gems tighten their grip on their weapons, leaning a tad bit towards the water. Lapis' eyelids convulse as she bites her lip.

She has the palm of her right hand set towards the Gems--with no intention of hurting them--yet. Lapis shifts the direction of her palm, directing it towards the finger covered in her tears. Pearl raises her eyebrow as Amethyst readies her whip. Garnet gapes, letting her arms drop down to her sides.

Lapis exhales once more, her breathing turning to shuddering. Finally, the water slips from her finger, ascending into the air--other droplets soon following suit. Lapis, stiffening the form of her hand, moves it down to brush Steven's pudgy hand off his body, cautious not to let go.

Once Steven's hand plops into the water, Lapis gradually lifts her arm back up to where it was. Lapis tilts her pointing finger down towards the cracked gemstone. "It's time I return the favor." She keeps her voice and tone still and quiet, though shaky as she proceeds to insert the droplets into the cracks of Steven's faded gemstone.

Each teardrop drifts down as passengers in an elevator make their way down to their intended destinations. Each droplet inserts itself into the gem, containing it's form as they connect with each other--until the cracks were formed from within.

Lapis grunts as she finally lets go of the water, freeing her mind of the tension. She pants as she opens her eyes. "Steven?" Steven remains motionless in her arms the cracks remain wet in the gemstone. The Gems stare down at them, shaking their heads, narrowing their eyes.

Garnet scoffs, having lost her patience with the Gem. "It's over, Lapis! Surrender now or parish! There is nowhere--and no one else left for you to fly off to!" Lapis clenches her teeth, closing her eyes as she sniffles. "I'm--I'm not giving up on him yet. He came through for me! I want to come through for him!"

She sniffles, on the brink of sobbing, as she opens her eyes once more. "Please. Steven, I'm sorry--for everything that I have done--to hurt you. You protected me against that thing--sacrificing yourself to help me even against THEM!" 

Tears stream down her cheeks as her voice starts to crack. "I should've done the same for you. Maybe this whole idea was just cracked out--to simply run away and avoid your caretakers. But I don't want it to end with you-- dying--here with me. Please!" 

She chokes on her tears as the Gems start to lower their weapons, letting up on their glaring a bit. "Please don't leave yet! Please don't have me regret ever taking you on this journey with me! All that I wanted to do with you--maybe I was using you! But I wanted to share it all and show you what you always wanted to know even though you don't know it yet!"

She sniffles and she chokes on a couple more tears as she turns her head away from him. "I just don't get it. Why did we have to go so far--to sacrifice so much of what we once had? Why did we choose to sympathize with each other but never truly act on it--to show that we care? Why, Steven? Why?!"

Teardrops slip from Lapis' cheeks down onto Steven as the sky over the fountain turns to a dull pink. "Why can't you come back! I want--I need you to come back! I--I-!" She turns her head back to face Steven's. Her voice nearly reaches a whisper as she leans her head down towards Steven's. 

"I love you." She bites her lip before she closes her eyes. She presses her lips on his forehead--before she retracts herself back, ready to let go of him and let him sink into his watery grave. Lapis grits her teeth as her arms start to tremble with her hands, turning her head away from him once more.

That is when she hears the slightest gasp from ahead of her. The void behind her closed eyes gradually turns into a vibrant pink. She opens her eyes--she gasps, bulging them. The Gems in front of her gawk as they all witness the cracks on Steven's gem glowing and merging together to become whole.

The gemstone on his naval glows for a moment before it fades out once more. He groans and he gradually opens his eyes. Lapis covers her mouth, looking to the Gems--back to Steven. Steven blinks his eyes as he takes a breather. After a few moments, Steven chuckles. "I'm really glad you came through, Lapis."


	32. The Fountain Fiasco

Steven's caretakers have their jaws dropping right now over Steven's miraculous recovery. What would have turned out to have been a short funeral and bitter farewell has become a binding connection between the stranger and the boy accompanying her.

The Gems huddle around as quarterbacks making a plan to intercept Steven into their visitor's field goal. Lapis can overhear them, but only by something as short of an earshot to her. 

"So it appears that Lapis has the upper hand right now."  
"I'm telling you guys, she's a mastermind water manipulator!"  
"Oh honestly, their connection just keeps getting stronger the more we intervene in their journey!"  
"Then we better act fast. Here's what we're gonna do."

Their voices lower in their volume just enough for them to be drowned out by the rushing water of the fountain Lapis floats in with Steven grunting and groaning in soft patterns. He blinks his eyes as he starts to wiggle his fingers in the water and bring his wrists back and forth.

He yawns as Lapis smiles down on him. "So what did it feel like?" She bites her lip, turning the other cheek. "The corruption." Steven sighs--transitioning to a shudder. "It felt--horrible. I never thought you guys would ever go through something like that. And--I think I heard a song. Only--it seemed distant and the voices--somehow familiar."

Lapis puts two fingers to her chin, rolling her eyes as she contemplates on his depiction. "Hmm--a song. I heard it too sometime while I was in the mirror once. Could it be the--no. That can't be done again." Steven raises his eyebrow. "What can't be done again?"

Lapis sighs. "It isn't very well known. Homeworld had this sacred ritual back during the rebellion. There have been rumors that this is the ultimate form of punishment that can only be given out when all of the Diamonds are present. You see, what they created was-!"

Lapis cuts herself off the moment she hears an unmistakable sound coming from ahead of her. She lifts herself up and she kicks herself back a bit in the water, grimacing. The Gems have their weapons out at the ready. Lapis has been caught off guard. 

She exhales, narrowing her eyes as she bends her head down without daring herself to lose sight of the Gems as they prepare to strike. They know that she still needs to get out of there if she ever wishes to get to Homeworld. 

Luckily, Lapis has a valuable ace up her sleeve to play that her enemies once had with them. She utters a quick message as Steven bites his lip, processing it. "Bubble us when I make the first move." Hopefully, that was what she wanted. 

After a few seconds more, Lapis pumps a fist into the air with a slight grunt. A jet of water sprouts out of the the surface of its element--then another to the left--and a third to the right. They keep their sprouted forms in midair, the middle one being taller than the other two. 

The Gems raise their eyebrows, letting up just enough for Lapis to safely make her move. "What is she up too?"  
"I'm not really sure, but I do know that once she does something, we are gonna defeat her and settle this mess once and for all." 

Garnet takes a step forward to stand just along the edge of the fountain. "Alright, Lapis. Make your move. No matter what you do now, you will lose--and this will be your last battle. Lapis exhales, biting her lip. "You're wrong--and you never saw this coming!" 

Lapis brings her pumped up fist down to jab the water surrounding her. The jets spring out of the water and down onto their targets as fists form from the tops of each one. They grunt as they reel back from the fist. 

Steven forms a bubble around Lapis and himself--it bursts the moment Pearl's spear punctures it, causing the water to ripple from the blast. Lapis' water wings pop out of her gem as she leans forward a bit. "Hold on!"

Lapis' water wings flutter twice as Steven wraps his arms around her. Lapis wraps her own arms around him to give him a safety net in case Steven were to fall during their escape. From a splash, Lapis grunts as she leaps out of the water, flying a few feet up into the air.

The Gems down below fight their water hands as Lapis grunts, squinting her eyes shut from the strain of hauling Steven's weight with her. Pearl fires spheres of light from the glowing tip of her spear, puncturing the fist as it shrinks to keep its form together.

Amethyst lashes out her whip at it only to have the ends of the whip catch the water from inside the arm. The hand grips the exposed part as Amethyst gasps. "What?! No fair!" Amethyst tugs on the whip, putting her foot down on it--only to be thrown into the air.

Amethyst screams as she flies off into the distance out of sight. Garnet punches the fist, causing it to ripple and splash water onto her face. She growls through her clenched teeth as she uppercuts the fist and left hooks the arm attached to it. 

Steven has his eyes closed, his head resting on Lapis' shoulder. Lapis witnesses the event with a faltering glare as she directs each movement of the water hands with her mind--and it's getting to be too much for her to handle all at once. 

Lapis lets go of the control of Amethyst's water hand to give her some breathing room. She pants as time slows down in her blurring vision. Lapis spots the warp pad and she immediately dives down for it. 

Pearl and Garnet keep fighting their water hands as they weaken and shrink down to their size from Lapis' depleting strength. Lapis crashes down onto the warp pad as she lets go of the restraints holding Pearl and Garnet back. 

She grunts as she crashes down on her side to avoid using Steven to shield herself in her selfish mannerisms. She groans as Steven lets go of Lapis, bulging his eyes open as he gasps. "Lapis! Why are you on the ground?! We need to go!" 

Lapis growls in anguish as she presses her right hand to her breast. "Use the warp pad and take us somewhere safe! Hurry!" Steven grimaces as he presses his hands to his cheeks. "But I don't know how to use the warp!" 

Pearl and Garnet rush through the bushes towards the warp pad as Steven brings his hands back down, glaring at them. "Steven, come on!" Steven gasps, lifting his head up as he hears the rushing footsteps of his caretakers gaining on him. 

He immediately extends his hands out from his sides and he squints his eyes shut as he grunts. "Please! Please work!" Steven hears his name shouted out by--he doesn't know who is shouting at him anymore. 

All he could do is pick any place and just leave before he could get strangled from the incoming fury he has unleashed upon himself from the moment he freed Lapis from the mirror. He could hear the warp activate--and a hand gripping the front his shirt. After that, all he could feel is the frost from outside the warp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks the end of Volume 3 in this work. Since I'm still working on Volume 4, chapters will now be posted every other night just like Love Versus Justice. If you haven't read that yet or given it a read, please do so while you wait for more of this to come out. It's very similar to this, but it does have an additional aspect to it that I'm hoping will advance the series to a greater potential rather than downgrade it.


	33. The Warp Ahead

The last things Steven felt in the norm were two hands. One was reaching out to grab ahold of his shirt while the other one pushed him back and out of harm's way--into a void with a temperature as frigid as what was experienced before.

Steven desperately wraps his arms around his shirt, clinging to the fabric as he grits his teeth. He convulses as a form of chilling gas escapes from his mouth. His mind numbs as his body starts to stiffen him for the fate of a human popsicle floating deep within a network of transport in the realm of space.

Steven never imagined his life turning out the way it did from revealing the mirror's awareness to his fellow Gems. He really thought about his life taking more of a gentle breeze than it would a storm such as the one surrounding him.

Had things taken the contrast in the turn of events, Steven would be in his room right now--with the mirror in his possession--with Lapis inside it. Better yet--she could've been outside of it anyway. Oh! A new member of the team! Oh how exciting it could've been!

But it was never meant to be, wasn't it? It was all because of Homeworld! What did Homeworld ever do to the Gems to cause them to ban together and take the existence of an innocent Diamond?! Why does he have to suffer with that legacy riding on his back every step of the way through his very own?!

He wants to be rid of that burden. He wants Lapis to make peace with the Gems--or for them to make peace with her. Perhaps everyone making peace with pretty much--everyone. A lightning strike pierces at his eardrums as his nostrils inhale the chill.

Steven doesn't dare open his eyes, resisting to gaze upon the billions of stars around him. What's funny about this fate is that Steven is more content with it. His gemstone isn't eating out from inside him--and it's not going to be a corrupted Gem attempting to tear him to shreds.

All this is--is a gradual, slow death. Just a chill as chilling as the poles of the planet. There is no oxygen, but he can breathe out whatever energy he has left as he holds it inside him for as long as his resistance would allow. 

And once he's gone--after he loses consciousness of reality--he will just be floating peacefully as he would from whence he would drown in his mother's fountain or the ocean itself. But what will become of his beach summer fun buddy? Have the Gems already caught her throughout his daze?

Is this all that is truly left for him now? Should he just suck it up and be done with it? But--Lapis. Is she okay? Is she in trouble? Where is she--and where are the Gems? Steven only knows where he is: entering death. So this must be it then, right? 

Because at the end of the day, there is nothing but a slight chill left for Steven Universe to grasp from untimely, unfortunate luck. Steven's teeth breaks out into a low chatter as his eyes squint in their eyelids. How much more of this could he possibly take?

Just open the mouth and--stop. Here comes a thought. Take a moment and think about it. Should it end here and now--or should he hold on just a little bit longer? Is there still hope that he could be saved? Is there a reason for him to suffer other than fate? What about destiny?

Is there still a chance to fix these mistakes? There has to be. There needs to be a way to set things right and restore the norm. Steven contemplates through his thickening skull about an escape plan to get him out of the void before the chill rests in his heart.

What should he do? He can't do anything other than wait or accept his fate. But perhaps there may be a way to get out of there alive? Didn't he enter it from a warp? Why not let another warp take him back in? Ah! Here is one now!

Steven gasps as the sound of a warp tunnel thaws out his ears--his nose--his eyelids--his mouth--his lungs. Yes! It's coming back again. He bulges open his eyes and he gapes at the warp that answered his plea of a second chance. But how is he back? Who is in here with him?

Raising an eyebrow, Steven turns around--and his eyebrow raises to the utmost extent. A Gem didn't activate the warp--for floating right in front of him is a mechanical sphere. A slot opens at the core, revealing a small canon aimed directly at him.


	34. The Boy and The Sphere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry. You're not the only one demanding new chapters of this thing. There's gonna be more on the way.

Just when Steven thought he was out of harm's way a second time, he has been pushed into yet a third situation of unfortunate events. The journey up to this point was bad enough for him. He nearly drowned, suffered from corruption and almost suffocated in the chilling realm outside the warp. Now a new enemy has bumped into him in the form of a mechanical sphere.

Steven's heart starts pounding faster and faster from its slowing, dying beat as he grimaces at the object. He grunts as he thrusts his right arm out against the sphere. His gem glows and his shield flashes onto his arm just in time as the canon spews out a bunch of white goop towards him.

Steven's eye twitches as the goop splatters on the shield, covering it in white splotches. Steven brings the shield down with his arm, raising an eyebrow. "What--are you?" The mechanical sphere doesn't let up as it keeps its slot open for the canon to prepare a second assault for the intruder. 

The canon retracts itself for a moment to reload before popping out into Steven's sight. Steven brings his shield back up--the canon doesn't fire this time. He lets his arm down--along with his guard. "Where did you come from-?!" The canon spews out the goop into the star on Steven's shirt. Steven winces for a moment, squinting his eyes shut from the impact.

He gradually opens them in his grimace and he looks down at his shirt. Steven immediately drops the grimace, his shield dissipating as he gapes at the mess on his shirt. "Huh?" Steven pokes at the goop, allowing it to stick to his finger. He brings the tip of the finger to his mouth and he starts to suck on it--for a second.

He immediately thrusts it out of his mouth and he spits out the goop, sticking his tongue out. "Eww!" He spits saliva out of his mouth a few more times and he groans as he clutches his stomache. "That tasted worse than Lion Lickers! What the heck kind of bakery did you come out of?!" The canon spews out one last pile of goop at Steven's face as he squints his eyes shut.

Steven opens his eyes once more just in time to watch the canon retract. The slot door clicks itself shut and four jagged legs pop out of the sphere's sides. The sphere adjusts its legs and spreads them out until they're even. The sphere remains dormant on all fours as it heads up with Steven in the warp towards its destination--wherever that may be.

Steven puts his hands on the sphere and he slides them through its surface, turning it upside down. The hovering legs of the sphere jab at Steven's hands, causing him to yelp and let go of it. The sphere adjusts its legs a second time as Steven's casts his eyes down on the back of his hands, now covered in scrapes from the legs of the sphere.

Steven rubs a finger against one of the scrapes--he flinches. "Ow!" He scowls at the sphere. "Hey! That hurt!" The sphere doesn't respond, devoid of emotion and feelings as it ignores the feedback of its action. Steven's arms drop as his forehead pounds. He presses a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes.

"Steven!" Steven opens his eyes, gasping. "Lapis!" Steven looks around only to realize that his beach summer fun buddy isn't around. Steven gapes, his forehead furrowing as he gazes and points at the sphere in front of him. "Uh, did YOU say that?" The sphere stays motionless, not bothering to answer as Steven lifts his head up, his eyes drooping. "Lapis."

Steven tilts his body back in mid air, folding his arms. "Please be okay--wherever you are." He gazes at the blank oblivion above him as his eyelids start to drop. He lets out a heavy sigh as his eyes shut, allowing him to drift off with the sphere in front of him resting just the same.


	35. I'm Just Your Reflection

The desert is a place that few actually know about considering the fact that its scorching temperatures and lack of water would drive people away from coming anywhere near it. It was home, however, to a pack of lions and a flurry of corrupted Gems who were tragic victims of the infamous Gem War.

In the heat of the moment, Steven forced himself to think of a place where Lapis and himself would be safe and not easily detected by any of the Crystal Gems. What sparked the warp pad back at his mom's fountain was the memory of meeting Lion for the first time--in the desert.

Unfortunately, Lapis wasn't lucky enough to get away from two of the most formiddable Crystal Gems. In her best efforts to get Steven and herself away from harm, Lapis has costed herself an incredible pain that didn't allow her to focus any longer. 

Steven has been caught in the gauntlet of the leader, but Lapis, through tears, pushed him out of the warp and out of her hands. As far as Lapis is concerned, she has sacrificed herself for what she now believes is a lost cause. The next thing that happened was something she saw coming for her.

Lapis closes her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks as she feels her dress getting roughed up by guantlets. A clean fist jabs at her cheek. A hand is slapped onto her shoulder as Lapis listens to the screams of anguish coming from her punishers. The trip in the warp is just that. A punishment.

Resistance is futile at this point and Lapis knows it. She knows that she deserved what she's been given. She is a Homeworld Gem--who has taken a boy, a special boy, away from his caretakers. They had to chase them down--twice--in almost the same day. Lapis, through clenched teeth keeps her head bent down through squinted eyes as the screaming floods into her ears.

"What have you done?!"  
"Steven could be gone forever now and it's all thanks to you!"  
"I should've shattered you when I had the chance!"  
"Did you ever think about how much he meant to us?!"  
"Why did you take HIM?!"  
"Did you ever think about what would happen to him, Lazuli?!"

Lapis doesn't move her lips but an inch as her fists remain at her sides, trembling. A few minutes after it started, Garnet and Pearl finally let go of Lapis, step back and allow her to utter something to herself. "Steven." She bites her lip and she shudders. Pearl and Garnet pant heavily, their eyes bloodshot and puffy as their foreheads sweat in front of Lapis.

Lapis stands in mid-air, her body convulsing as her torn skirt billows. Her cheeks have been bruised a shade of dark blue. Her hair has also been ruffled along with her skirt. Lapis finally opens her eyes, her right blackened and she counters the glare of her attackers. "Why?"

Pearl folds her arms as Garnet's gauntlets dissipate. "Why did you do this to me?" Lapis narrows her eyes. "Is it because I'm just another Homeworld Gem to you?!" Pearl points a finger at Lapis, scowling. "YOU took away Steven-!"  
"HE wanted to come with me!"

A tense silence takes up the warp for a moment as Pearl steps right in Lapis' face. "Why would he choose to go with you?" Lapis takes a moment to blink. "I meant something to him. To you, I was a mirror. But to Steven, I was his friend--but you couldn't see me like that can you?"

Pearl lets up her glare as Lapis casts her eyes down. "I'm just--your reflection to you, aren't I? I'm just everything you ever hated about yourself staring you right in the face." Pearl widens her eyes as Lapis continues, her eyes drooping. "I was a Gem just like you. I was a terraformer and a diplomat for Blue Diamond. That's just the way I was made."

Lapis locks her eyes back on Pearl. "I was caught up in your war and I disappeared for over five thousand years in the form of the mirror. The mirror that showed you things. The mirror that showed your reflection." She a presses a hand to her breast, her other hand outstretched. "The mirror that was my prison until someone set me free!"

Lapis huffs. "If Steven can see who I really am beyond the mirror, why can't you?" Pearl turns around, gaping with Garnet as the light of the warp fades to reveal the intended location: the desert. Lapis doesn't waste any time as she leaps into the air, her water wings popping out. In a burst of speed, she soars into the sky.

Lapis looks down one final time towards Pearl and Garnet who have turned their heads just in time to watch Lapis flee. Pearl turns back to face Garnet, facepalming with a heavy sigh. "What do we do now, Garnet?" Garnet lifts her head up towards the sky one more time before bringing it back down. "We need to find Amethyst. We lost her at Rose's Fountain." Pearl nods. "Right."

She casts her eyes down on the warp for a moment. "But--Steven. He-!" Garnet adjusts her visor. "We'll find him too." Pearl rolls her eyes back up. "And Lapis?" Garnet groans through her enclosed lips, pinching two fingers to her chin for a moment. "We'll have to wait and see." Garnet's visor glints in the sunlight. "Let's go." The warp pad activates, the beam of light taking the Gems with it.


	36. Walking With Spheres

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit that I have been holding a few chapters back for a while. I wanted to at least finish Volume 4 of this with a couple more chapters, but I couldn't bring myself to write the big finale. At least not right now anyway. I'll be fair to release whatever I have left so when I have something that's actually brand-new, I can post it for you guys the very next day. I hope it was worth the wait. ✌

The Prime Kindergarten has been visited several times. One of those times has been just the other day when Lapis was in desperate need for some assistance in healing Steven from his ingrown corruption. Despite these disturbances, it has hardly changed in its appearance.

At the warp pad within, a bright blue beam sprouts out from the glow. A few seconds later, the spectacle dies down and fades into history. Standing on the surface is someone who once lied down on it--unconscious. Next to that someone, a mechanical sphere springs to life, getting up on its jagged legs.

Steven looks around the kindergarten, his jaw dropping. "Whoa." He whispers to himself as he shifts his head towards one end of the canyon--to another. "What is this place?" He can see the holes of Quartz soldiers in the purple sandstone, how identical the exit holes are, adjacent to one another.

The mechanical sphere's legs click as it starts to make its getaway. One leg gets off the warp pad--followed by another--then the rest. The sphere's legs stop for a moment just in time for Steven to realize its departure from the long trip.

"Huh?" Steven watches as the sphere dissapears over the edge, the clicking resuming at its normal pace. Steven immediately steps off the warp pad and he looks over the edge to spot the mechanical sphere walking down the wall towards ground level. Steven hesitates for a moment as the sphere's legs reach the dead soil.

Steven grunts as he leaps off the platform and onto the soil to catch up with his company. He stays close on its trail as it heads straight into the dense fog up ahead. Steven frowns as his eyes scan his new surroundings. His eyes droop as he spots something glinting in the corner of his eye.

Not far ahead of him is a drill with a giant gem attached at the top. The drill head's tip threatens Steven as he passes right by it. He could only spot more of them in the distance exactly the same as the first one he came across. Steven presses a hand to one of the drills, the palm of his pudgy hand feeling the cold metallic surface. 

He slips his hand across the drill as he focuses back on the mechanical sphere. The sphere slows itself to a stop as Steven's hand slips off the drill. He widens his eyes as the mechanical sphere instantly forces its legs to give way. The sphere slumps down to the ground, the legs sliding into the sphere without a trace.

A blue spot appears on the sphere. It's pulsating for a few moments. The light starts flashing on and off from the top--and the sphere beeps every couple seconds. The beeping resonates throughout the kindergarten as Steven steps up to the sphere--only to stop himself short. He turns his back towards the sphere--and he takes an abrupt step back, gawking.

Approaching Steven from behind is a bigger version of the same sphere reluctantly keeping him company during its travels. The sphere's legs stomp across the soil as its size grows even larger by the second. Steven steps out of the sphere's way just as it charges up to the smaller sphere. 

The smaller sphere stops beeping as the light stops flashing. The sphere's legs pop back up from its surface and it gets back up on its feet. The sphere crawls up towards Steven as the goliath takes a couple more steps forward. Steven takes a step back, raising his eyebrow from the sphere next to him to the larger one twice his size.

The larger sphere transforms into an inverted pyramid and it crashes down into the ground. It fuses with the soil, a bright light flashing in the form of a square. The light fades from the square, revealing a platform. Steven steps up to examine it. He places one foot down as the leftover sphere crawls onto the platform.

The platform vibrates, forcing Steven to stagger onto it. "Whoa. Whoa!" He stretches his arms out as he squats through a moue. The platform drops and descends into the underground with green glowing coils and tubes attached to the earth. The sphere remains still on the platform as Steven turns his head in all sorts of directions, his eyes bulging.

Steven's mouth hangs open, unable to utter a sound as the platform floats down towards its unseen destination. The platform slows down as Steven turns to face the void ahead of him. The platform continues to slow down--until it stops. 

"Huh?" The platform shakes for a moment as a slab springs from the darkness into the light. It plugs itself into the platform as a yellow light floods into the void, revealing a small space of screens, metal, and a giant green crystal in the core. The yellow light diverges and into the other streams towards the crystal.

The screens turn on, revealing diagrams and charts, as a pillar rises in front of the crystal. Steven watches as the mechanical sphere hurries up to the pillar and stops right in front of it. Its legs give way as Steven hears something fall onto the ground underneath the platform. The sphere ahead of him beeps as another sphere with striped legs click against the wall.

The sphere crawls into the surface as the other sphere continues its beeping. Steven proceeds with caution as he finally steps off the platform. Steven bites his lip as the spheres join each other's side, leaning and bouncing up and down, moving its legs without any intention to actually move anywhere else for the moment. "Uh, what's going on? What are you guys doing?"

The sphere that has been beeping freezes and steps towards him. The slot at the core slips out allowing the canon to emerge and aim towards the intruder. Steven freezes in his tracks as he gulps. Steven gazes at the sphere's canon as the other sphere crawls up the pillar and slaps its legs onto the surface, laying flat on its side.

The sphere glows as Steven's eyes dart towards the sphere not threatening to fire its goop at him. A screen emerges from the crystal. After a few moments of static, the monitor reveals a face Steven has never seen before. Staring at him through a clear visor is a pair of green eyes widening at the sight of him.


	37. This Is Peridot

The underground kindergarten access control room remains frozen in time through stunned silence as two pair of eyes lock onto each other. Two faces share quivering lips and bulging eyes as they blink them wider. Steven takes a careful, slow step back on the glossy surface of the platform as the screen draws itself back an inch.

Steven's body shivers as the figure on the screen puts a finger up, opening its mouth. The figure closes it and puts it's finger back down. The figure narrows it's eyes as its lips return its frown. Steven could feel his throat tightening, choking against the cold, dense atmosphere as he casts his eyes down. He gulps as the figure finally speaks out to him.

"Hello, little--thing?" The figure raises an eyebrow. "That just happened to end up in the Prime Kindergarten access control room." The figure keeps her voice firm as her mind explodes with thoughts for the first time since--the very beginning. "Tell me, how did you get in here?" Steven clasps his hands together in front of him as his face starts to sweat.

"I--um..." The figure leans in closer, her face taking up most of the screen on the monitor. "Did you get lost? Did you come to this place and you just happened to come across my robonoids? Is that how you got here?" Steven's skin goes pale as the chilling tone of the figure's voice thickens his skull.

Steven blinks his eyes shut for a moment. He opens them and he locks them right on the figure's once more. He shudders as he exhales. "H-Hi." The figure's face scrunches as Steven holds his breath a moment more. His heart quickens its beat as his brain rushes to come up with a cautious response. Finally, he opens his mouth--and he let's the words come out as he processes them in his mind.

"I'm--Steven. Steven Universe." The figure takes a moment to blink. "Well--hello, Steven." The figure turns its head away from the monitor. "Excuse me. One moment." The figure pulls up a screen within the screen as a peculiar hand pops up on the monitor. Its fingers are bright yellow, green pieces of chalk disconnected and freely hovering in the air over a dark circle on a gauntlet.

One of the fingers taps on the screen--then taps once more and holds to slide a dial to adjust the volume of her voice--even though to Steven it is hardly being raised from where he can hear her. "Log Date. 2. 20. 2. This is Peridot. I have-!" Steven jumps and he gapes. "Oh. Your name is Peridot." He attempts to smile. "That's a nice name."

Peridot taps a pause button on her screen, turning it into a play button as she gives a sideways glance. "Do you mind? You're disrupting my recording." Steven could feel his body steadily getting mobile as his voice receives its confidence. "Oh. Sorry." He finds his lips forming a wider, more genuine smile as Peridot turns back to her screen.

She taps the play button on her screen and she resumes her recording aloud. "I have just discovered more than simple artificial intelligence inside the Prime Kindergarten access control room. There appears to be an outbreak of Stevens here in the Prime Kindergarten." Steven chuckles. "No, no. I'm the only me around here."

Peridot's eye twitches. "Correction. There appears to be an outbreak of ONE Steven in the Prime Kindergarten access control room. It is already getting on my nerves--as you can tell by the sound of my voice!" She clenches her teeth as she grumbles into the recording. 

"I am here in the Kindergarten Connection Center on Homeworld. Planet--I don't know anymore. It's just a simple task given out by--my Diamond. It's my first time here and-!" Steven gawks as his eyes bulge. "You're from Homeworld?!" Peridot's cheeks heat up as Peridot jabs at the pause button.

She whips her body around, flashing a scowl towards Steven. "Alright, you pebble. What do you want?!" Steven blinks as his smile fades. "Oh. Did I--disrupt your recording again?" Peridot's teeth grind as her eyes bulge. "You most certainly did, you pesky little-!" Steven holds a finger up. "Wait. If you're from Homeworld, maybe--you could help me out?"

Peridot's nostrils flare as she inhales through them. "With--what?" Steven clears his throat. "I want to get to Homeworld." Peridot scoffs. "You? You're not even a Gem and only Gems can be on Homeworld. I'm not a clod." Steven sighs as he lifts up his shirt. "Actually, I'm half gem." The rose quartz gemstone on his naval flashes as Peridot's glare falters, her lips retreating to a quiver.

"You're..." Peridot's voice trails off, her voice losing every hint of anger as Steven lets go of the rim of his shirt. "How-?!"  
"A friend of mine really wants to get back too."  
"Why--friend?!"  
"Yeah. Someone named Lapis Lazuli-!"

Peridot lifts her finger off the screen as it dissipates. Peridot freezes as her legs start to shake, forcing her own body to convulse. "What--in the--stars? She's--with you?" Peridot's mouth dribbles with gibberish as Steven points at the monitor, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, Peridot? Are you--doing okay?" Peridot stiffens as she blinks her eyes shut--and open.

"What--do you two want--from me?" Steven puts his hands in his pockets. "Oh. Well, could you maybe help get us to Homeworld?" Peridot shakes her head as she facepalms. "You're not from-!" Steven collapses on his knees, putting his clasped hands out towards Peridot, grimacing. "Please?!" After a moment, Peridot bites her lip. "Fine."

Steven gets back up, grinning. "Oh! Oh my gosh. Thank you, Peridot-!" Peridot smirks, holding a finger up. "But! That's going to require some--price of admission." Steven drops the smile and he takes a step forward, sighing. He lowers his voice for a moment. "Anything for Lapis." 

Steven scowls at the monitor. "What do you want?" Peridot clasps her hands together, playing with her thumbs. "Let's see. Perhaps you could--oh. I don't know. Bring up any--names of any Gems that are left on Earth other than you and your friend?"

Steven blinks his eyes wide as he stiffens. "Wh-Why? Wh-what are you talking about?" Peridot folds her arms. "Are you--or are you not a Gem, Steven?" Steven holds a finger up, lifting up his shirt once more. "Well, I'm half Gem. Shouldn't that be enough?" Peridot slams her gauntlets down behind the monitor, gnashing her teeth.

The ceiling above Steven glows as two green circles flash onto it. Two gauntlets pop out of the circles, its fingers curled up into fists. Steven grimaces as the gauntlets swoop down  towards the sides of the monitor. Peridot thrusts her right gauntlet towards Steven as the pointer finger lashes out of the fist.

"DON'T attempt to patronize me! I know exactly who you are--and if you can prove that you really are who you say you are, you will prove it!" She jabs Steven's chest with the pointer finger a few feet away from where he was. Steven lands on his butt, grunting upon impact as he forces his eyes shut. 

Peridot stomps her boot as she draws the finger back. "I demand names! Tell me!" Steven opens his eyes, clenching his teeth as he gets back up. "That's none of your business!" Peridot kicks the ground behind the monitor as she turns her back to the monitor. "Oh! Alright then. Have a nice day." Steven jumps and he darts towards the monitor. "Wait!"

Peridot growls as she lowers her voice. "There's nothing to wait for. The cluster will be emerging soon and I'm stuck down here..." She turns back around as she raises her voice. "Communicating with the ugliest pebble I've ever come across--claiming that it's a stupid Gem--even though it has nothing to prove that it's is the real deal!"

Steven waits for a moment as he casts his eyes down onto the floor. Peridot shakes her head as she presses a hand to her forehead where her gem lays embedded behind her clear glass visor. "I'm sorry--but I just need to let you go." Steven closes his eyes. He opens his mouth--and he allows a name to slip from his lips. "Pearl."

Peridot jolts as her eyes bulge. She detaches her hand from her forehead and she gapes. She raises an eyebrow as she places both hands in front of her on the monitor. "Are there others? Surely a maid couldn't possibly be the impediment of your journey." Steven shakes his head. "Amethyst." 

Peridot's forehead furrows. "Is she a Quartz soldier?" Steven shakes his head once more. "No. She's--a bit different though." Peridot smirks with a sniff. "She's a defect isn't she?" Steven's forehead pounds as his memory brings him into the moment where Lapis called Amethyst the forbidden term back inside the temple.

Steven pulls up his shield just as Amethyst lashes her whip out towards him. He grimaces, taking a step back as Amethyst's eyes well up. "I'm a defect am I not, dude?!" Steven gasps, shaking his head as he staggers towards the platform in reality. Peridot glances at her screen behind the monitor. "Hm. Interesting. Anyone else?"

Steven presses a hand to his forehead, bending his head down as he mumbles to himself. "What I am doing?" Peridot clears her throat, causing Steven to look back up at the monitor. "Is there anyone else?" Steven knows one more name, but despite him leaving his mouth open, he can't seem to utter a sound--until the thought of Lapis being attacked popped up in his head.

He can see Lapis struggling against the Crystal Gem's grip. Amethyst holds her left arm steady with Pearl managing Lapis' right arm. Lapis writhes and growls as she gets dragged across the bubble room towards a small well of lava in the center of the chamber. Garnet directs them towards the well as Lapis attempts to kick at her.

Lapis' eyes shift towards Steven and she grimaces. "Steven!" The Gems stop in front of the well as Garnet summons a gauntlet to her left hand. She jabs at Lapis' chest as Pearl and Amethyst let go of her. Steven listens to Lapis grunt as she gets the wind knocked out of her. Lapis crashes down into the well.

Lapis' bloodcurdling screams echo throughout the chamber as Steven staggers back from the scene. "Steven! HELP ME! STEVEN!" He looks away from the well, closing his eyes as they well up. The screaming dies down as he shudders before the monitor. Peridot raises an eyebrow. "Well?"

Steven finally lets the last name slip from his tongue. "Garnet." Peridot puts a hand to her neck, rubbing it back and forth. "So, a permafusion, a defect and a maid, hm? Is that all?" Steven nods. "Yes. That--is all of them." Steven curls his fingers into fists as he grits his teeth.

Peridot taps the the play button on her screen. "It's my first time here and--I have received a special request." She taps the pause button and she smiles, narrowing her eyes. "Alright, Steven. Let's make a deal. These names that you have given me here are all names of the different types of Gems giving you trouble, correct?"

Steven gulps as he nods. "Yes." Peridot sneers, raising an eyebrow. "Can you prove it?" Steven's forehead furrows as he glares at the monitor. "I thought I just did. How much more can I prove it to you?" Peridot stands up straight, bringing her hands together. "Can you catch them for me?" Steven gawks at the monitor as his heart sinks.

"You want me to--catch them?" His voice cracks as Peridot nods. "Every last one. Once you do that, then maybe I will consider your request. And--they better be bubbled." Steven's eyes glisten as he presses a hand to his shirt. He grasps the star on the shirt and he tugs at it. "I understand." Peridot claps her hands. 

"Good. We'll meet up on the Galaxy Warp once you have everything in order. I will have a tracking robonoid accompany you during your hunt to keep things in check. If you let anything happen to it, the deal is off. These devices are limited. DON'T waste my time." 

Peridot shuts off the monitor inside the Kindergarten Connection Center. She steps back from her monitor as her teeth creep into her sneer. "I don't believe it." She pulls up her screen as she snickers. "I shouldn't." She taps the play button as she gazes at the monitor. "I Peridot Facet 2F5L Cut 5XG may have just discovered that Rose Quartz and Lapis Lazuli of Era One are still in one piece on Planet Earth." She taps the pause button. "And they're about to make me one lucky elite."


	38. In The Heat Of The Moment

The sun starts to set on the desert as an orange haze takes up the sky. The heat from the beating sun only grows more intense as a floating silhouette misbehaves, its wings only flapping every few seconds. The silhouette struggles to keep itself up as it constantly drops and rises back up every so often.

Drops of sweat slide down Lapis' face as she pants to the beat of her wings. She grits her teeth as steam emits off her water wings. Lapis growls as she flies closer to the sun by the second, unaware of the harm she is inflicting on herself. "I can't--go down!"

Lapis continues growling through the pressure as the sun gets closer to her. "St-Steven needs me!" She forces her eyes shut as she clenches her teeth. Lapis starts to sink with the setting sun as she pants heavily. She opens her eyes to look down at the sand dunes below and ahead of her, resisting the urge to look directly at her mortal enemy.

The flight started after Lapis narrowly escaped from Pearl and Garnet's clutches. Lapis had watched them leave in a quick beam of light several yards up in the sky out of their sight. She had smiled and laughed to herself--for the first ten minutes. After the first ten minutes were up, Lapis' eyelids started dropping and her smile simply faded once the heat started pounding at her back.

Did Pearl and Garnet leave her to this torture on purpose? Did they know that she couldn't handle the everlasting pressure of the infamous plain as well as she thought she could? What did they really have in mind for her when they decided to let her go? 

Whatever the case may be, Lapis is in serious trouble and she knows it. She presses a hand to her forehead and groans as she starts to sink towards an incoming sand dune. "I can't--stay up--here!" How much more of this desert is there? Chances are Lapis' luck has just run out for her since the desert is normally miles upon miles of land covered in sand, not another warp pad in sight.

"I wish-!" She coughs. "I wish this wasn't--so bad!" A thought pops up in her head. She remembers crashing down towards the warp pad back at the fountain. She was helpless on her side, listening to the screaming of her captors. In this instance, she could hear the screaming of her friend.

"Lapis!" Lapis' eyes bulge as she gasps, jolting back to the conciousness of her reality. "Steven?!" Lapis turns her head left and right, gaping through her panting. Her panting grows hoarse as her breast heaves just the same. "I need--I need Steven!" She gnashes her teeth as she looks straight ahead of her.

There still appears to be nothing--or is there something just up ahead? Lapis widens her eyes just before her eyelids could cover them again as she spots a pink dot. What is that? Oh wait. It's gone. No wait! There it is again--only closer. Lapis swoops down for the dot as she allows her water wings to fold to her sides.

She flashes her teeth, narrowing her eyes as the dot slowly transforms into the figure of--a lion. A pink lion? Lapis raises her eyebrow. "What is that-?!" Lapis dives headfirst into the sand only a few feet away from the beast. Lapis' head pops out of the sand as she gets up on the surface.

The lion flashes its glowing white eyes on Lapis as she gazes at it. Lapis has never seen this creature before, hardly any for that matter, but this one is a straight up oddity. The lion scowls at Lapis as she approaches it with caution. "Uhm, I-!" Lapis chokes out some sand from her mouth as the beast turns full body towards the intruder.

The lion takes a couple steps closer as Lapis backs away a bit. "Look, I don't want any trouble." Lapis grimaces as she draws out a string of water from her eyes. The lachrymal string builds itself out in front of the lion, quickly getting thicker and much more visible from the non-stop welling of Lapis' eyes.

The lion immediately jumps into action, roaring a pink shockwave towards Lapis. Lapis flies off her feet--and she crashes down onto the sand, grunting from the impact of the heated sand. Lapis abruptly gets up and she glares at the lion as it charges towards her. The lion starts roaring out a second shockwave as Lapis stands her ground.

Inhaling with a flick of her wrist, Lapis lashes out her whip at the creature's face. The whip snaps off the beast's nose as it gives off a shrill yelp. Lapis doesn't dare move another muscle as the lion takes a moment to recover. The lion places a paw on its nose as it narrows its eyes on its attacker.

Lapis gulps and she pants as the beast removes its paw from its nose. The beast growls and it roars a shockwave towards Lapis. Lapis leaps out of the way with her steaming water wings as the lion charges towards her. The lion's claws retract from its paws as it bares its teeth, swiping at the sand from where Lapis would've been.

The lion flashes it's glare towards Lapis as it shifts its body in her direction once more. The lion roars its shockwave and charges towards Lapis, this time lunging towards her. Lapis narrowly misses the claw as she leaps out harm's way. She makes an effort to leap off the ground, grunting as her water wings open from her sides.

Lapis crashes down into the sand and she groans, pressing a hand to her cheek as she struggles to get back up. The lion doesn't hesitate this time to get into position. It immediately darts in for the kill, roaring its final shockwave. Lapis, starting to get up, flies right back into the sand onto her back. She starts to sit up, wincing in anguish--only to get pounced by the lion.

The beast slams its claws into Lapis' arms and it thrusts it's head towards Lapis, opening its jaw to reveal its sharp teeth. Lapis' eyes bulge and she forces them shut as she quickly turns her head away. She winces and jolts as the beast clasps its jaw shut. It opens it again and roars for as long as it could into Lapis' face.

Lapis clenches her teeth as she takes in the ear-piercing wailing, her ears screaming though unable to die out. A minute later, the beast quits its wailing and it brings its head back up. Lapis opens her eyes, panting heavily as she turns her head to face the lion's jaw. The lion gets off Lapis, allowing her to break free from its grip through a pinch of mercy.

Lapis sits up as the lion backs away from its attacker and turns away. The beast gazes at the sun as it watches it darken and sink into the desert. Lapis gets up and she remains still as the lion stands on all four in front of her. With a flash in its eyes, the lion roars once--forming a portal in front of it. Lapis stands up straight as her eyes bulge, gaping. "Wow." The lion roars a second time to create a ring within the portal. "Hey wait!"

The lion roars one final shockwave for one last ring as Lapis lunges for the lion. She crashes onto its back just in time as the lion leaps into the portal. Lapis screams as she flies off the lion. She grasps the tail and she grips it with both hands as she flies through the portal with the lion flying through into the great beyond.


	39. It Is That Bad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going by statistics, this has been my most successful work by far. I mean, why wouldn't it be? It has great writing, suspenseful plot points and an answer to the biggest question ever asked on Steven Universe. What would happen if Steven journeyed with Lapis Lazuli beyond the mirror? Now truth be told, I'm in no way affiliated with the Crewniverse. I wish I was. So chances are none of this is canon--or maybe all of it is? Well, this is only the beginning.

Deep in a forest, a pink portal with two rings within pops up in the middle of a wide dirt path. A pink lion leaps out of the portal, crashing down onto the dirt path, its passenger letting go of the lion's tail. The passenger flies into the dirt path on its side, grunting on impact.

Lapis moans in anguish, pressing a hand to her forehead as she struggles to get up. She opens her eyes and she tilts her head up towards the gray clouded sky. Non-stop droplets of water drip down on Lapis, creating splotches on her cheeks.

Lapis stands on the dirt path as she turns to face the lion that brought her to her new surroundings, realizing that the portal has vanished. Lapis raises an eyebrow as she turns back to the path ahead of her. "Huh." There are trees and bushes wherever there isn't a dirt path. There is no sign of life anywhere in sight. No insects, no humans.

There is a rustle in the bushes to Lapis' right, causing her to gasp. She approaches the bushes with slow, gradual steps, her bare feet making prints in the dirt. She gapes as her ears catch a familiar voice. "What am I gonna do?" Lapis narrows her eyes as she brushes past the bushes to find a patch of grass with an oak tree ahead. In front of that oak, sits someone beyond her belief.

Steven sits in front of the oak tree, his legs crisscrossed. His head is bent down towards his arms resting on his legs, his face scrunching with a sour scowl. "I can't just--do that to them. I--I just don't know." A tear slips out of Steven's eye as he lifts his head up. He gasps, his back jolting into the tree behind him. "Lapis!" 

He immediately gets up and rushes into Lapis, throwing his arms around her and pulling her in for a tight embrace. "You're okay!" Steven pulls away from Lapis as he looks up into her visage, grinning with her. "I thought something really bad happened to you. What-!"

Steven's grin falters as his eyes catch the torn, wrinkled skirt. He looks back up at Lapis' face as his lips curl into a frown, discovering dark blue bruises on her cheeks and a black eye. He also notices that Lapis' clean hair has become messy and dirtied. Steven takes a few steps back as his lips quiver. "What happened to you? You look--hurt."

Lapis widens her eyes as she drops her own grin, bending her head down towards her skirt. She frowns for a moment as she feels her eye sting. She groans as she slaps a hand to her eye. She collapses on her knees as Steven grimaces. "Lapis?!" Lapis' forehead pounds as she grits her teeth. "Lapis!" Steven's eyes well up as Lapis lifts her head back up, her hands pressing the ground.

Lapis forces her grin to come back as her black eye twitches. "It-it's okay! I'm fine!" Steven puts a hand to his mouth as tears roll down his cheeks. He casts his eyes down as they droop. He forces them shut--and back open as he detaches his hand from his mouth. "They--they did this to you?" Steven staggers back a bit more towards the tree as he sniffles.

Lapis moans for a moment as her body convulses, forcing her grin. "Steven, I'm okay! Really." Steven casts his eyes back down on the ground, facepalming. "Why would they--they would never-!" Lapis lets out a shaky chuckle, her grin faltering by the second. "Steven, I'm fine." 

Steven shakes his head as his eyes widen. "All this time, I never thought they'd--what if-!" Lapis finally drops the grin. "I'm okay, Steven." Steven brings himself to look Lapis in the eye, slipping his hand off his forehead as he scowls at her. "They did this to you?!" Lapis scoffs. "Steven, it's not that bad." Steven stomps his foot, gnashing his teeth.

"IT IS THAT BAD!" Lapis gapes through drooping eyes as Steven bends his head down, his fists trembling at his sides. "Steven?" Steven starts lifting his head up, shading the top half of his face. He turns away from his companion and he storms off into the tall bushes without another word.

He brushes past the bushes into another patch of grass. He presses his hand back to his forehead as he releases a heavy sigh. He stops in his tracks a few feet in from a rustle in the bushes behind him. He widens his eyes as he turns around to face the bushes. He casts his eyes down on the grass--and he crouches down onto his hands and knees. He crawls up to the bush and he slips his hands into it.

He narrows his eyes as he pulls out a green mechanical sphere with three sharp legs in the shape of inverted triangles. He flips it around to look into a camera lens fixed at the core. Steven's face scrunches. Gazing at the camera lens, he closes his eyes as he pushes the robonoid back into its hiding spot.


	40. The Only Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've kept you guys waiting long enough. But seriously though, you have no idea how hard this actually is to write. I've got a long chapter coming up after this and then the two-parter volume four finale once it's finally written. I've been thinking about it for a while, honestly.
> 
> Also, I'm starting college now, so I have no idea how things are going to turn out for the future of this series. All I can say is that it's going to be Homeworld or bust.

The pouring rain gradually shifts into a slight drizzle as Steven leans into the bushes behind him, his arms folded. He tilts his head towards the sky and he closes his eyes, allowing the pellets of water to land on his face.

The darkness in his perception fades from the light of a monitor in a location Steven has recently been to nearly a couple hours before Lapis found him. Peridot sneers at him on the screen. "Remember, Steven. Remember the deal." She narrows her eyes. "I'm watching you."

Outside his daydream, Steven's lips quiver. A rustle in the bushes jolts him awake, gasping--panting. Steven bends his head down towards the grass to see a mechanical sphere standing in front of him, the camera lens focused directly on him.

Steven bites his lip as he turns his head to the bushes, griping the collar of his shirt. His eyes lock back on the robonoid for a moment. He focuses back on the bushes as he turns his back to the robonoid. He pushes through the bushes and he steps onto the other side.

Lapis is sitting in the patch of grass, tracing a finger in front of her to manipulate the rain as it drips down. She connects two raindrops together--and she splits them apart. She puts her finger down as she spots Steven standing in front of the tall bush. "Steven."

Steven turns his head back to the bushes for a moment. Lapis raises an eyebrow as Steven faces his companion. "Is something wrong?" Steven shoves his hands in his pants pockets, casting his eyes down on the grass. "No. It's just..." His voice trails off as Lapis sighs.

"Steven, if you're worried about me, I'm fine." Lapis grunts as she struggles to get back on her feet. "I mean, Pearl and Garnet may have been a bit harsh on me." She winced as she struggles to balance herself. "But they let me go." Lapis exhales as Steven steps up to her. "I don't know how--or why--but they gave me a chance to leave."

Steven bends his head down as Lapis places her hands on his shoulders. "Listen, I appreciate everything that you have done for me, Steven." Steven lifts his head up to look Lapis in the eye. "But--this isn't your place. Your place is with the Crystal Gems, not me." Steven's eyes widen as he gapes. "Wh-What?"

Lapis' eyes droop as she frowns. "I've been thinking about it ever since you took off. I mean, if I take you any further, you might-!" Steven scowls at her. "No. This IS my place." Lapis grits her teeth. "Steven, I know you want to go with me, but-!" Steven's face scrunches. "I'm doing this for you, Lapis!" 

Lapis gapes as she takes a step back, her hands slipping right off Steven's shoulders. She embraces herself as she casts her eyes down on the grass. She closes her eyes and she bites her lip. 

Steven reproaches her, taking a step forward as he places a hand to his chest. "I'm the one who broke you out of the mirror. I'm the one who got you out of that mess and I'm gonna be the one who will get you to Homeworld and I'm coming too!" Lapis presses a hand to her forehead.

Steven stands up straight and he turns his back to her. "I can't go back, Lapis. Not after--everything." Lapis opens her eyes and shifts them towards Steven. "But..." Lapis' forehead furrows. "There's gotta be another way." Steven's muscles tense up in front of Lapis. "Couldn't you just--apologize to them? I mean, my Diamond--she would take an apology for a minor mistake-!"

Steven whips his body back around to flash his glare towards Lapis, his arms outstretched. "Minor mistake?! Lapis, this isn't a minor mistake! The Gems are hunting us down for hurting them! If we let them catch me--us!" Lapis gapes, raising an eyebrow. "If we let them catch us!" Steven growls. "Think about what will happen!"

Steven bends his head down, casting his eyes down on the grass through quivering lips. After a moment of tense silence, Lapis steps forward to set a hand on Steven's shoulder. "Steven, I-!"

There is a rustle in the bushes. Steven grimaces as he turns his head around to lock his eyes on the bushes with Lapis. There is a click--and a clack as a leg in the shape of an inverted triangle steps out into the open. Lapis' face scrunches, gritting her teeth as the tracking robonoid reveals itself to her.

Lapis' eyes narrow, lowering her voice. "Steven, what is that?" Steven gulps, his forehead sweating as his skin turns pale. His mind rushes for an excuse only to come across a warning spoken by Peridot. "If you let anything happen to it, the deal is off." Steven grimaces as he turns his head towards Lapis. 

Lapis, with a hand extended towards the robonoid, forms a water hand in mid-air without an arm right next to the mechanical sphere. The hand has its palm exposed, the fingers curling back, ready to snatch the robonoid--and crush it. Steven blurts out just as the fingers touch the robonoid. "WAIT!"

Lapis jolts in a grimace, allowing the water hand to fall apart and splash down onto the grass. She immediately turns her head towards Steven. "What?" Steven's breaks out of Lapis' grip, forcing her hand to retract from his shoulder. Steven rushes towards the robonoid--he faces Lapis as he stops right in front of it.

"Lapis." Steven's head pounds as his forehead continues to sweat. "We can't destroy it." Lapis scoffs as she folds her arms. "Why?" Steven widens his eyes. "Because!" He eyes darts left and right before locking them back on Lapis. "Becuase it can help us." Lapis raises an eyebrow. "How?" Steven turns around to pick up the robonoid.

He turns back around with the robonoid in his arms, forcing a smile. "Oh. Well, it's a robonoid. These things are made on Earth--and they can be used to find Gem locations." Lapis bites her lip. "Hm." Steven's eyes droop, his smile faltering. "Lapis, it's mine. It found its way to me and--I wanted to keep it."

Lapis narrows her eyes on the robonoid for a moment. She looks up towards Steven, who immediately speaks up. "This thing isn't a threat at all. Honest." Lapis turns her back towards him, sighing with her head bend down. "Okay. But if that thing starts doing anything weird, we have to get rid of it." Steven nods. "Okay."

Lapis starts walking off. "Steven?" She turns her head to face her companion. "You aren't..." Lapis' face scrunches. "You aren't lying to me, are you?" She turns her body a degree towards him. "Becuase if something's up-!" Steven shakes his head. "Nothing's up, Lapis. Everything is fine." Lapis turns away from Steven and she leaves his sight. Steven frowns as he casts his eyes down on the robonoid in his arms.


End file.
